Nicosia: Both the Government and the competent stakeholders share the goal of a successful tourism season, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday. Responding to a question during a press briefing at the Presidential Palace about the Government's plan in case the situation in the tourism sector worsens, if the regional crisis is prolonged or escalates, the Spokesperson said that "we are already seeing, and we note this with satisfaction, that the flight schedules of almost all airlines are returning and have returned to full operation. Just yesterday, we saw nine new flights announced by new airlines to and from our country."
According to Cyprus News Agency, he noted that relevant meetings have been held with affected stakeholders in the hotel industry and recalled that the Government announced a subsidies' plan for the month of April last week. "At this moment, there is an almost daily assessment being carried out both by us and, of course, by the hoteliers themselves regarding how the situation is evolving. We are seeing positive signs, as conditions are steadily improving, precisely because both flight schedules and everyday life in our country have returned to normal," he said.
He added that 'we are continuously monitoring the situation and remain hopeful. This is our goal and a shared objective of both the Government and the relevant stakeholders, that we will have a successful tourism season.'
Letymbiotis reiterated the message the Government is sending internationally: 'Daily life in our country continues as normal. We are in a period of full preparation to welcome visitors from all over the world. Recently, we have seen very important events taking place successfully, with thousands of visitors from across the globe, proving in practice that the Republic of Cyprus remains a quality tourist destination,' he said.
In any case, he concluded, 'we are in close coordination, particularly regarding any developments, whether regional or related to the conflict involving Iran, and, based on this ongoing assessment, various scenarios are being developed on a daily basis.'