WITH a flying time of just four hours from Dubai, Cyprus is popular with Middle Eastern tourists. SHALU CHANDRAN spoke to VASSILIS THEOCHARIDES, director Cyprus Tourism Organisation Middle East and Arabian Gulf Office, about the island’s increasing appeal.
How did 2009 fare for tourism in Cyprus?
Last year we experienced a decline of 10.9 per cent over 2008. The total number of tourists received on the island in 2009 from January to December stands at 2,141,187 in comparison to 2,404,744 the previous year. The UK, Russia, Germany, Greece and Sweden were the top five markets for Cyprus in 2009 contributing 73.8 per cent of total arrivals.
How much does the Middle East contribute to that figure?
The Middle East’s share of total arrivals was 53,507 which is approximately 2.49 per cent of the total pie. The Middle East was able to gain an extra share of seven per cent over 2008 and Lebanon, the UAE and Egypt were the top three contributors Lebanon and the UAE continued to follow the positive trend and marked growth of 8.7 per cent and 10.46 per cent respectively over 2008.
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Theocharides...important market |
With value and price being key factors for tourists, has there been a need to develop or change your product offering for tourists?
Certainly yes…tourists are very price sensitive these days. They are looking for cost-effective deals and value for money when they spend on their holidays. The Cyprus Hotel Association has positively taken an initiative and has urged hotels to offer discounts to holidaymakers for short and long stays in Cyprus for all tastes at a range of one to five-star hotels.
On the other hand the embassy in Lebanon has accepted the onus to grant visas to Kuwaiti nationals out of Beirut who are already there on holiday and wish to extend their stay in Cyprus. This shows that different associations and ministries, who are directly or indirectly related to tourism, are committed to easing the tourists’ requirements in the given scenario.
What are your expectations for the summer and Ramadan months? What kind of bookings have you witnessed already?
We, being a national tourism organisation, do not undertake the bookings from consumers directly. Although from our side we have done the necessary awareness campaigns among the travel agents in various markets through workshops, training and educating them on the destination’s products for next season. We will continue to see a growth from our key markets although the UAE is likely to be not as exciting as last year due to economical trauma still floating in Dubai.
Ramadan being closer this year, the travel time available has also shortened and will work against all destinations and travel patterns in general. Short breaks will see more demand in the last two quarters of the year.
Has there been a change in travel trends from the Middle East?
2009 saw a considerable change from long hall destinations to short hall destinations like Cyprus.
How important is the Middle East market for Cyprus?
As mentioned above, the Middle East contributes only 2.49 per cent of total arrivals. Hence the region is a small player but yet a growing market for Cyprus. Moreover Cyprus being one of the closest European destinations from the Middle East with a rare combination of beautiful beaches, nature and true hospitality, will continue to attract travellers from this region throughout the year.
What is the focus for 2010?
Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) is constantly making efforts to increase the flight inventory and seats to Cyprus from the Middle East. The top officials from CTO and the aviation ministry will continue to hold talks with the different airlines that have been flying to Cyprus (Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways, Jazeera Airways, Cyprus Airways) and the ones who intend to fly there in the near future such as Qatar Airways and Air Arabia.
What are your offerings for local tour operators and agents?
We constantly update our local tour operators and agents about the needs of this market and try and build a bridge between them and the agents from the Middle East to increase the traffic of visitors from here to Cyprus.