Cyprus extends commercial flight ban, hopes to spur tourism

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus on Monday prolonged a ban on business flights into and international unless Might well well 28 as the govt. considers systems to revive the country’s tourism industry to meet an anticipated swell in put a matter to from vacationers desirous to fleecoronaviruslockdowns.

Since Cyprus imposed a flight ban on March 21, most attention-grabbing cargo planes, licensed repatriation flights, and some humanitarian flights were exempt.

The govthopes to absorb airports working rotund schedules after June 9, reckoning on how the pandemic unfolds domestically and international.

Authorities are making an are attempting to advance lend a hand up with plans for safely bringing lend a hand holidaymakers to Cyprus, the put tourism accounts for 13% of faulty home product. Cyprus tourism ministry officers said the Mediterranean island nation is conservative estimated to survey a 60% drop in annual customer arrivals this 12 months.

Hoteliers’ Affiliation Chief Haris Loizides told non-public TV allege Sigma on Monday that thanks to solid efforts to limit the unfold of the coronavirus, Cyprus is “high up” on the list of locations that other countries andairwaysuncover about as a protracted-established different for dawdle back and forth travelers.

However the industry environment stays unsure since Cyprus’ two main vacationer markets — the U.K. and Russia — are tranquil coping with huge numbers of COVID-19 cases, Loizides said. Cypriot officers are taking a absorb a study bringing in vacationers from new tourism markets in the Gulf and the Heart East which absorb comparatively low numbers of coronavirus cases.

Loizides said strict social distancing, effectively being and hygiene principles will seemingly be in elevate out in any respect resorts at any time when they’re allowed to commence.

Cyprus counts to this level 898 confirmed virus cases and 16 deaths.