Reasons for tourist decline

Sir,
Referring to the headline in Thursday’s paper (‘Dire warning as tourism slumps’) I would like to raise a few points from a tourist perspective.

Firstly the ridiculously high airfares still dictated by the ailing state airline are having an enormous bearing on people’s decision where to go on holiday. Most other European destinations are served by a low cost carrier, but not Cyprus, not even Helios competes.

Secondly, there are no golf courses on the eastern end of the island to provide an all-year round supply of customers for the hotels.

Thirdly, many friends have returned from Cyprus this year saying how expensive things have got this year.

All these items need addressing before your tourists will return.

These comments are intended to assist rather than criticise as I intend to live in Cyprus on a permanent basis.

Ian C Wedge

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.