Cyprus aims to maintain the same number of tourists as in 2018

Deputy Minister for Tourism Savvas Perdios said Friday that Cyprus is aiming to maintain the same numbers of tourists as in the previous year with the right marketing and joint efforts by all stakeholders in the tourism industry.

"With joint efforts we will be at the same levels as last year," he told Cyprus News Agency after the conclusion of his contacts at the ITB Tourism Fair in Berlin, where Cyprus, as he noted, gave its best.

Cyprus recorded the highest ever number of tourist arrivals in 2018, approaching 4 million, and with revenues that exceeded 2.7 billion euros.

Perdios said that all stakeholders in tourism are trying to give incentives in order to maintain the same numbers in 2019.

As he, said, the particularly high increase of the previous years would not be normal to continue. He added that competitive markets as Egypt and Turkey, had returned to the market expecting an increased number of tourists this year. If Cyprus, he noted, “manages to maintain the same numbers this year, it means that our numbers in the previous years have not been coincidental”.

In relation to Russia, one of Cyprus biggest tourist markets, Perdios said that the ruble has fallen compared to last year and that the Russian tourists can find very cheap prices from competitor countries as Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco.

He also said that marketing was very important in promoting the country abroad and that the effort must be continuous, especially in younger tourists who know nothing about the country.

Asked what he gets from the ITB Tourism Fair in Berlin, he said that he estimated that it would be a difficult year regarding the German market, due to the economic instability, that has started to affect Germany and the bankruptcy of Germania airline.

He also said that the messages for the German market were more positive in 2020.