Tourist arrivals go from record to rock bottom

Cyprus went from record tourist arrivals to plunge 84% in 2020 with the island suffering a tourism nightmare as the pandemic decimated holiday travel.

Tourist arrivals plunged by 84.1% in 2020 to mark Cyprus’ worst tourist seasons due to Covid-19.

Cyprus tourist arrivals reached a measly 631,609 spiralling 84.1% year on year from the record 3.97 million tourists in 2019.

The pandemic ended four successive record years of tourist arrivals that helped Cyprus emerge from a financial crisis in 2013.

Last year, tourist arrivals nosedived after Cyprus enforced lockdown measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 including a ban on commercial flights from March which was gradually lifted in early June.

There were also travel restrictions imposed on Cyprus’ main tourist markets the UK, Russia and Israel while quarantine measures across Europe also affected connectivity.

In December alone, tourist arrivals were only 9,682, an annual reduction of 91.2%, the Cyprus Statistical Service said Monday.

In 2020, UK tourist arrivals, Cyprus’ largest tourist market, decreased by 82.9% to 228,047 from 1.33 million in 2019.

Arrivals from Greece dropped by an annual 63.4% to 62,788 from 171,512 in 2019 while arrivals from Germany dipped 60.1% to 60,430 from 151,500 the previous year.

A mixture of national lockdowns, quarantine and travel restrictions has decimated the island’s tourism industry which generated EUR 2.68 bln in 2019.

Income generated from tourism usually contributes around 15% to GDP.

Initially, the government aimed to reach 20% of 2019’s capacity, those hopes were dashed by a second wave of coronavirus at home and abroad.

Despite putting a lid on the pandemic when it arrived in March, Cyprus has since struggled to contain the outbreak with total Covid-19 cases on Sunday reaching 28968 and 170 deaths.

Larnaca shops say Lockdown II is killing them off

Two lockdowns and other restrictive measures imposed by the government to stem the pandemic have delivered a body blow from which Larnaca businesses may not be able to recover.

In comments to the Cyprus News Agency, local chairman of POVEK shopkeeper’s union, Kyriacos Ambizas said many businesses have gone under, and will not be bouncing back after the crisis is over.

Ambizas said that the majority of Larnaca shop owners are in financial trouble.

“Larnaca shopkeepers believe that the decision taken by the Government to close stores was not the right one, especially at a time when other stores are open and working normally,” Ambizas argued.

He explained that Larnaca shopkeepers feel that the government has wronged them with the latest lockdown.

“There are people in despair, due to the situation they have been almost financially ruined. We have to wait for what will happen, not knowing if, when and under what terms and conditions the stores will finally be allowed to reopen”.

He said the indications are not good, with a lot of shopkeepers ready to throw in the towel for 2021.

Ambizas said businesses on the high street have already surrendered, closing their businesses for good.

It is claimed that shopkeepers have not received any response to their pleas for the government to intervene on rents owed to landlords and freezing bank loans.