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The summer holidays are already reserved for the British. Starting May 1, Cyprus will once again allow tourists from Great Britain who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus to enter the country. British citizens who have been vaccinated with an EU-approved vaccine can enter the country without any problem, Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios (39) said on Friday, according to the CNA news agency. Then a negative corona test or quarantine is no longer necessary for them.
The corona pandemic has hit tourism hard on the Mediterranean island. After nearly four million visitors in 2019, only 631,609 tourists came to Cyprus last year.
To re-stimulate tourism, Cyprus had already signed an agreement with Israel in February. Starting in April, Israelis who can present a corona vaccination certificate can enter the country without any problem. Perdios spoke on Friday of a “significant development for tourism” in Cyprus. In 2019, one in three tourists in Cyprus came from the UK.
Hurry to travel agencies
In general, many Brits have found their desire to travel. After the Corona easing announced in England, UK travel and holiday providers are seeing a surge in interest.
Flight bookings from Britain had risen 337 per cent compared to the previous week in the hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s speech (56) and holiday bookings were even up 630 per cent, the Easyjet airline said. in Luton.
The largest British travel company Tui UK saw a six-fold increase in bookings. On the London Stock Exchange, corporate shares rose sharply on Tuesday.
The British want to go to Malaga, Alicante and Mallorca
Johnson presented the government’s plans for the crown lockdown on Monday. Consequently, the restrictions will be removed step by step until there are no more restrictions from June 21. Holidays abroad could be allowed again from May 17. The prerequisite for any relaxation is that the number of new infections remains low and the vaccination program continues.
According to the companies, the most popular tourist destinations were Malaga, Alicante and Mallorca in Spain, Faro in the Algarve in Portugal and the Greek island of Crete. Most of the reservations were made for August. “The prime minister’s speech gave many customers in Britain a much-needed confidence boost,” Easyjet boss Johan Lundgren said, according to the announcement.
“People can look forward to a well deserved rest”
Tui UK chief Andrew Flintham offered the government to jointly develop a “risk-based framework” for tourists to travel abroad this summer. “People can look forward to a well-deserved break after a very difficult year for many,” Flintham said, according to the PA news agency.
Health Minister Matt Hancock emphasized that the effectiveness of vaccines against the new corona variants will play an important role in the approval of international travel. “We have to arm ourselves against the new variants, which is a great challenge,” Hancock told Sky News on Tuesday. “If the vaccine doesn’t work against him, it will be much more difficult.” (AFP / SDA / jmh)
