By Alexia Saoulli
THE TOURIST season could be on the mend and might even close on a positive note after getting off to a shaky start, with arrivals well below average in April, Tourism Minister George Lillikas said yesterday
Numbers were down by 10 to 12 per cent last month, he said. “As long as there is no other negative development or external factor,” however, there was no reason why the season should not end well, he said. The US-led attack on Iraq in March hammered the island’s main industry with dozens of tour operators cancelling their trips at the last minute.
“It looks like there are good prospects for our winter period, in other words October-December. (And) by the end of May, when all the reservations for the summer period are complete, we will have a much clearer picture of the overall annual results,” he said.
Lillikas dismissed fears the easing of travel restrictions to the north might affect domestic tourism, saying only a limited number of Greek Cypriots had booked hotels in the occupied areas for their summer holidays.
“We must not exaggerate the numbers and then, without meaning to, cause problems with our foreign tourists,” he said.
As for foreign tour operators trying to secure package deals in the occupied areas, Lillikas said: “On the contrary, the response from foreign tour operators has been positive and respectful of the Cyprus government’s decision.” The government does not allow foreigners to stay in the occupied areas overnight.
The Minister added that the CTO, in collaboration with the Attorney-general’s office, had prepared a document to inform foreign tour operators that they would be fully responsible for any crossings to the occupied north; he said that due to Turkey’s occupation, the government could not guarantee visitors’ safety in the north.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
