Tourism returning to pre-pandemic levels

Tourism is returning to pre-pandemic levels, deputy minister for tourism Costas Koumis said on Friday.

Speaking to Cybc radio, Koumis was optimistic about the tourism industry, saying that it is finally returning to its usual rhythm in 2023, as in 2022 the impact of the pandemic was still apparent.

Referring to the figures recorded for May, which showed that tourist arrivals increased by 36.2 per cent over the previous year and were also up 3.2 per cent on 2019 figures.

The deputy minister also expressed concerns about tourist flows into the north increasing year on year, clarifying that tourists who arrive to the island via Larnaca and Paphos and then head to the north are not counted as part of arrivals to Cyprus.

Koumis will travel to Saudi Arabia at the weekend in the hope of establishing Cyprus as a tourist destination as three cities there will soon have airport links to the island.