Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (Oev) president George Pantelides met with British High Commissioner to Cyprus Michael Tatham on Monday, in order to discuss the strengthening of economic and trade relations between Cyprus and the United Kingdom.

According to an announcement by the federation released on Tuesday, the meeting was also attended by Oev director-general Michalis Antoniou and head of trade and investment at the British High Commission in Cyprus Elena Orphanidou.

During the discussions, both sides exchanged views on prospects for enhancing bilateral economic ties, with a focus on expanding trade flows, increasing investment and fostering closer cooperation between businesses in the two countries.

Particular emphasis was placed on the tourism sector, where the importance of the British market for the Cypriot economy was underlined.

Participants highlighted the need to maintain the positive momentum recorded in arrivals from the United Kingdom.

“Cyprus remains at the lowest level of the United Kingdom’s travel advice, with no restrictions or recommendations against travel,” the High Commissioner said.

“British citizens continue to choose Cyprus with confidence,” he added.

This is something that demonstrates that the island “remains a safe and reliable tourist destination”, according to Oev.

Reference was also made to data from Hermes Airports, showing that approximately 30 inbound flights from the United Kingdom are recorded daily.

These flights are operating with load factors exceeding 90 per cent, reflecting sustained demand from the British market.

The announcement concluded by stating that the meeting “took place in a positive atmosphere and confirmed the shared intention to further strengthen cooperation between Cyprus and the United Kingdom across areas of mutual interest”.