Nicosia: The decline in Cypriot tourism was limited to 8% in the first seven months of the year, said Deputy Minister for Tourism Kostas Koumis, while noting that by the end of the year it is estimated that 'we will be talking about a decline in the region of 5%'. Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new cycle routes in the Municipal District of Troulloi within the Municipality of Aradippou, Koumis said that the year had got off to the best possible start for the country's tourism sector, as January and February were the best corresponding months in the history of Cypriot tourism. 'In other words, we had the best January and the best February we have ever had,' he said.

According to Cyprus News Agency, the Deputy Minister noted that the incident on 1 March changed the situation and 'turned everything upside down', referring to the date when a drone struck the UK base of Akrotiri in Cyprus. As he noted, around 70% of the flight schedules operating in Cyprus were cancelled overnight indefinitely, with the result that the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the government were called upon to manage a crisis which, as he noted, may have been unprecedented in recent decades.

In March and April, the situation took a turn for the worse. Koumis stated that the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the government had placed particular emphasis on efforts to persuade airlines to maintain their flight schedules to and from Cyprus, as well as the country's strategic partners, tour operators and organisers specialising in specific forms of tourism to maintain the holiday packages they offer for Cyprus. 'In hindsight, and several months on, we can say that we were successful,' he said.

As he explained, while during the first four months of the year the discussion centred on a decline of around 18%, for the first seven months of the year the decline has now been limited to 8% and is expected to be reduced even further. 'Consequently, by the end of the year we will be talking about a decline of around 5%,' said the Deputy Minister for Tourism, noting that such a situation can arise in any sector without anything out of the ordinary happening.