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COVID19: Best way to promote Cyprus is vaccinate workers

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The best marketing tool the tourism industry should use is 100% vaccination of its employees, guaranteeing Cyprus is a safe country to visit, said Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides.

The Minister addressed the 43rd Cyprus Hotel Association conference arguing vaccination will protect the battered tourism sector.

“We must show that Cyprus is not just a hospitable country because it offers nice gastronomy, sun or nice attractions, but it also offers security during the pandemic.”

Petrides said that despite the budgetary issues due to the pandemic and extraordinary expenditures of €2.5 bln to support the economy, the government strengthened development budgets linked to upgrading the tourism sector.

“Those who travel to the countryside and the mountains realise that Cyprus in 2020 and 2021 is not the same as in 1990 in terms of environment, infrastructure, beauty.”

Deputy Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios said Cyprus has the opportunity to attract EU markets before the end of the pandemic since, after the pandemic, Europeans will travel again to other destinations.

“Unfortunately, our main markets are outside the EU; at the moment, the only region in the world that presents a framework of stability for trips abroad is the EU and its member states.

“We must all realise that in the next 12 months, the EU will be the one that will give us a stable travel framework so that we can attract tourism from there as well.

“That does not mean that we are not interested in the UK, Russia and Israel markets, but that they can not be the only ones.”

Cyprus Hotel Association President Haris Loizides said the first half of 2021 is already lost for the tourism sector while uncertainty remains.

The closed-off key markets of Britain, Russia and Israel, did not allow for a better flow of tourist arrivals in the first six months due to COVID travel restrictions.

“We are activating a plan to exit the crisis, expecting better days for tourism for the second half of the year with the hope to have a dynamic return in 2022.”