An increase in Cyprus tourist arrivals and tourism revenue has been recorded this year, said Tourism Minister Costas Koumis.
He will visit Finland, Sweden, and France next month to engage with key players in the global market.
Koumis and Maria Kouroupi, Senior Communications Director of Hermes Airports, said flights to Cyprus were affected by UK air traffic control system problems, resulting in delays and cancellation of 6 flights to Larnaca Airport and four flights to Paphos Airport, which are expected to depart on Tuesday.
Asked about the tourism outlook for 2023, he said this year, “a significant increase of about 27% in arrivals and a notable increase of around 34% in revenue”.
Speaking at a workshop organised in Larnaca by the Association of Cyprus Tourist Enterprises (ACTE), Koumis said: “We expect this trend to continue through September and until mid-October.”
“We are monitoring the market minute by minute and striving for the best possible results.”
“Tourism expos in which we participate are ongoing, but there is a need for regular communication with the key players of the global market.”
Koumis said the French market has been on an upward trajectory in recent years, “particularly this year, there is a significant increase, which we welcome.”
Kouroupi said: “August seems to be closing as the best month ever recorded in the history of Cypriot airports with around one and a half million passengers.”
Koumis said on the UK traffic control system, “Preliminary information suggests a cyberattack that affected the air traffic control systems of the UK, Italy, and other countries, as these systems are interconnected.”
“We were also affected by this problem, as we had some cancellations and significant delays for a number of flights.”
He said the British and Italian governments announced the issue had been resolved and hoped it would not be repeated anytime soon.
“The British market is Cyprus’ most important tourism market, and unfortunately, many flights were affected by the issue.”
Kouroupi said: “The problem was resolved a few hours after it started, and flights from the United Kingdom have resumed. However, several flights were affected in Cyprus and other countries.”
“For Larnaca Airport, a total of 24 flights were affected, of which six were cancelled but are rescheduled for today.
“Additionally, after the issue was resolved, several delayed flights departed from UK airports”.
“For Paphos Airport, 21 flights were affected, with four cancellations. However, these have been rescheduled to depart.”
