A study is underway to prepare a new long-term national strategy for tourism to enhance the Cypriot tourist product, President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades said on Wednesday, noting that the number of tourists in the first quarter of 2016 increased by 32,4% compared to the corresponding period last year.
Addressing the General Assembly of the Association of Cyprus Tourist Enterprises (ACTE), the President said that the government has been working in the past three years to upgrade the quality of the Cypriot tourist product and promote its comparative advantages.
Already, he said, there are the first positive results and noted that in 2015 there was an increase of 8,9% in tourist arrivals compared to 2014.
In addition, revenue increased by 4,4%, from two billion euro in 2014 to 2,11 billion in 2015.
The President said that for 2016 there is an increase in the number of reservations for the summer, while in the first quarter of 2016 the number of tourists visiting Cyprus was 251.608 compared to 189.988 in the corresponding period in 2015, thus recording an increase of 32,4%.
The President told the General Assembly that the government intends to establish a Deputy Ministry for Tourism, noting that if the Parliament approves, the Ministry will be fully functional on the 1st of January next year.
Concluding, he referred to government efforts to improve the air connectivity of Cyprus, with countries where there is potential for attracting tourists and to simplify the visa issuance process in countries, such as China.
Minister of Tourism, Energy, Commerce and Industry, Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, told journalists after the General Assembly that the aim is to increase the number of tourist arrivals in the months between October – April.
In his statements, President of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation Aggelos Loizou said that tourism between April 2015 – March 2016 achieved a record number of more than 2,7 million visitors.
Addressing the General Assembly, President of ACTE Akis Vavlitis underlined the importance of establishing a Deputy Ministry for Tourism, that would consult with all players in the tourist sector in Cyprus for even better results.
