Cyprus sees Russian tourist influx

Normally, as the European summer season is underway, Cypriot hotels and beaches are full of British tourists, but strict quarantine requirements and lack of certainty about travel restrictions mean that the island nation of Cyprus is relying on tourists from other nations to bring in revenue, and it is Russians that making up the numbers, according to reports.

In 2019, around four million people visited the war-partitioned island’s Greek-run south, and a record 1.4 million of them were Britons, with younger holidaymakers arriving to enjoy hotspots such as Ayia Napa, and the older crowd heading to the resort of Paphos in the west. Now, though, those numbers have plummeted. Tourism Officer Christina Charalambous said that this has forced the country to be more creative with marketing tactics. “Now,” she said, “the focus is on facilitating travel from our other source markets. It’s all about getting people here and convincing governments to allow travel to Cyprus.”

Back in April this year, tour operator TUI Russia promised Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis 300,000 Russian tourists in 2021, with the launch of charter flights between Russian airports and Greek tourist destinations like Crete and Corfu.