Limassol shop hours adjusted for cruise tourists

SUNDAY shop opening hours in Limassol’s coastal area will be changed to better serve tourists arriving on cruises, the Labour Ministry has decided.

Labour Minister Sotiroulla Charalambous announced the news earlier this week, issuing a shop opening hours’ order for the summer period – starting from April 1 and ending on October 31 – according to which, shops in Limassol’s tourist area could only open after 1pm on Sundays.

This led to a series of reactions, seeing that Sunday mornings are usually very busy for the area’s shop owners, mostly due to the cruises that arrive on that day.

Last Sunday, the shopkeepers defied the ministry’s orders and opened up earlier. But instead punishing traders, the move alerted Minister Charalambous to the problem.

In her announcement, the minister said she had revised the area’s working hours after receiving new information she hadn’t been aware of.

More specifically, Charalambous explained that the town’s Advisory Council had not informed her on the matter, as was its duty to do so.

“Despite this, after being informed, the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance examined the legal and various other aspects of the matter. After securing the relevant information from the Cyprus Ports Authority, without losing time, it decided there was a need to readjust the relevant order, so it could also cover the days when cruises arrive,” the minister announced.

The new hours will allow the area’s shops to open from 10am and apply for 12 Sundays in total, during which a series of cruises are scheduled to arrive bringing with them thousands of tourists.

This summer season, shops in Limassol’s tourist area will be open from 10am on May 9, 16 and 23, July 18, August 8, September 5,12,19 and 26, and October 24.

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