Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on Wednesday that the Russian market is expected to boost the tourist industry of Cyprus this summer.
Perdios is currently in Moscow holding meetings in the framework of the Moscow International Travel & Tourism Exhibition.
In his statements to CNA, he noted that it seems that this year the tourist flow from Russia will be the same as last year, adding that this will give the tourist industry a boost compared to other markets from where indications are negative, as Germany and the UK.
He went on to say that arrivals from Russia were 800 thousand last year.
Moreover, Perdios said that Russian tour operators seem to be ready to invest, to a smaller extent, in winter tourist programmes. He also said that Russian tour operators have begun to represent other Russian speaking countries as Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, as well as Baltic countries.
As regards the British market, the Deputy Minister of Tourism said that they will be waiting to see developments on Brexit, adding that this issue is related to the exchange rate for the sterling.
This will be a difficult year, he added, noting however that we should focus on the opportunities.
Perdios also said that Cyprus should seek to attract tourists from other markets as well, and not only from traditional markets as the UK.
Source: Cyprusdaily