COVID19: Cyprus preparing for battle to attract tourists next summer

After the travel industry was ravaged by coronavirus, there will be more people seeking a Cyprus holiday next summer as, hopefully, the war against the pandemic will be won with a new vaccine.

Savvas Perdios, Deputy Minister for Tourism, foresees “a battle” for tourism in 2021 as more people will be willing to travel to tourist destinations like Cyprus, following the devastating wreaked by the pandemic.

He said Cyprus has to be prepared to go into battle to fight among the other countries for its share of tourists.

Perdios argued Cyprus can not only rely on good marketing alone but must also improving its tourist product if it wants to restore tourist arrivals at 2019 record levels of 3.97 million.

Following years of record-breaking arrivals, Cyprus saw its tourist sector devastated due to the pandemic and associated travel bans, with arrivals plunging by an annual 84% from January to September.

“There will be a battle between the countries wanting to attract tourists in 2021 as more people will be willing to travel,” Perdios said presenting his ministry’s budget to the parliamentary committee of Finance and Budgetary Affairs.

The Deputy Ministry’s budget provides for €45 mln expenditure compared with €52 mln in 2020, noting that funds earmarked for the upgrading of Cyprus’ tourist product from 8% of the total budget in 2020 doubles to 16% in 2021.

“This means we need to see not only promotion but also the upgrading of (the tourist) product.”

As he noted in the positive scenario of a vaccine being available or in case of other positive developments, “the Ministry will need to move rapidly with an advertising campaign in the first months of 2021”.

“We had a two-million budget for marketing for 2021 and if things improve, advertising (spending) will take place in just six months,” Perdios added.

He said the Ministry has brought forward some actions in 2021 and 2022 so that Cyprus can benefit when the tourism sector recovers in 2023-2024. (source CNA)