SOME 30,000 tourists from China are expected to flood into the island according to the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism George Lillikas.
Mentioning that those figures could increase, Lillikas added that the government had managed to include Cyprus in the official destinations of China as part of a tourist programme between the island, Egypt and Greece, aimed at promoting a new unified package from China and other Asian countries.
“The market has opened now to China. Contracts have been secured to attract about 30,000 tourists from China this year. It is a very good start if one considers that from the traditional European markets we attract 30,000 to 60,000 tourists. A good start has been made but the potential is much larger,”
Known as a holiday hotspot for markets such as the UK, Germany and Scandinavia, Lillikas pointed out there was a whole new market on the other side of the world and that the opportunity must be seized.
“We must not depend on European markets. Sixty per cent of arrivals come from Britain and a financial crisis in Britain could lead to the collapse of the tourist market.”
Speaking about relations between the two countries, Lillikas said Cyprus considered China to be a very friendly country that always supported Cyprus, noting that the political relations of the two countries were excellent.
Earlier this month, police launched a nationwide manhunt for a group of 29 Chinese tourists who vanished at Larnaca airport as they were about to leave the country.
Although police located and arrested 11 of the tourists, the idea of having 30,000 Chinese tourists on the island has sparked fears of a flood of asylum applications.
But Lillikas played down fears that tourists would abuse the tours to seek asylum, dismissing the suggestion as as “pure racism”.
“How can people assume that just because they are coming from China there is more chance that there will be a bigger chance of asylum seekers?
“That is purely racist speculation. What about all the Sri Lankans living and all the Pakistani students over here; we don’t have those sort of problems with them. It is a very biased and racist assumption to think that the Chinese are more likely to do that.”
According to the World Tourism Organisation, China will be the largest exporter of tourism in the world within the next few years. Chinese citizens have been allowed to travel internationally for leisure purposes since 1991. They are increasingly taking holidays and spending abroad, generating opportunities for enterprises that can cater for their particular interests and needs. Popular destinations in Europe include Germany, Russia and France, where no visa is required.
