The Association of Cyprus Travel Agents (ACTA) has assured that ”any instructions given by the state bodies will be distributed to our members with instructions to be observed with religious reverence,” regarding the passing of foreigners to the Turkish occupied areas, who are visiting the Republic of Cyprus legally.
In a press release after reports in the media regarding tourism in the Turkish occupied areas, ACTA says that with the opening of the checkpoints, tour operators ”started to exert pressure” for tourists to be sent to the occupied areas for overnight stays, an issue which the ACTA notified the government about.
This was followed by meetings with government institutions and it was decided that ”it is possible to organise daytrips or half-day trips to the occupied areas, based on Cypriot legislation,” and that it was not possible to forbid overnight stays, as long as they would be in hotels owned by Turkish Cypriots.
It was also decided that ”for no reason whatsoever would tour operators members of ACTA accept to transport tourists for overnight stays in hotels of Greek Cypriot ownership in the occupied areas.”
ACTA points out that all large foreign tour operators accepted these terms and have been observing them ever since, and furthermore do not send tourists for stays in the occupied areas.
It adds that ”to our knowledge no tour operator member of our Association has organised any illegal trips and/or is promoting overnight stays at Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied areas.”
The Association says that ”transports to the occupied areas either for trips or overnight stays seem to be organised by carriers and/or tour operators outside the jurisdiction of our Association”, adding that ”the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) is carrying out continuous checks at all passes to the occupied areas and is reporting the offenders.”
It also says that on 26 February a meeting was held with the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, the Chairman of CTO and representatives of ACTA, the Pancyprian Association of Hotel Owners (PASYXE) and the Association of Tourist Enterprises (STEK), and is expecting the completion by the state institutions of a survey regarding the sending of tourists to the occupied areas for overnight stays with flights arriving at Larnaca Airport, thus entering the Republic of Cyprus legally, as well as in relation to the rapid and illegal erecting of establishments and/or agreements with large hotel chains.
The Minister agreed that when the statistical data is gathered and examined, the current situation would be studied, based on the interpretation given in the past, i.e. that it is not possible to forbid the passing of foreigners to the occupied areas, who have entered the
ACTA says state instructions observed regarding tourism in occupied areas
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