CYPRUS: Despite extra flights, holiday bookings drop this summer

Despite an extra 50,000 more seats added by airlines this summer, weaker holiday bookings suggest tourist arrivals to Cyprus will be lower than 2018.

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Deputy Tourism Ministry Savvas Perdios told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the main reasons behind the drop, is the negative exchange rate of the Russian Rouble, Brexit and the problems with the German market.

He said although hotels expect  receive fewer tourists than last year, hoteliers have added more beds, while new hotels have been built.

Perdios said his ministry is “working hard to reverse this year's negative climate on arrivals”.

“We paid two visits this year to Britain and we will be going to Germany, Austria and Scandinavian, in order to help increase the tourist flow.”

He noted that Cyprus has opened up to new markets such as the Middle East, including Lebanon and Jordan.

Perdios earlier presented an action plan for upgrading the Cyprus tourist product over the next decade at the cabinet meeting.

He said that the ministry has a series of short-term and long-term objectives drawn-up after consultations with stakeholders from the private sector and collecting data and views.

He said the short-term action plan has to do with branding and marketing the island as a destination, along with other long-term goals.