Cyprus Deputy Minister for Tourism Savvas Perdios mentioned there may be critical momentum for establishing direct flights to and from Saudi Arabia, stressing that this risk may unlock the Saudi tourism marketplace for Cyprus.
Perdios visited Jeddah for contacts with native officers and vacationer stakeholders aiming to push for a direct flight between the 2 international locations, which Cyprus has sought for 3 years. He held separate contacts with senior officers from the Saudi Chamber of Commerce and the Civil Aviation as effectively with air carriers, tour operators and cruise traces workplaces.
“We’re intensifying our efforts for a direct flight as we really feel there may be critical momentum for this turning into a actuality,” Perdios instructed CNA from Jeddah, including that establishing these flights would create “critical curiosity for vacationer flows from this market.”
He mentioned that the Deputy Ministry proposed that such a flight might be operated to and from Jeddah, as a substitute of Riyadh.
Perdios defined that the length of a flight from Jeddah is 90 minutes, rendering the Saudi metropolis as a really perfect vacation spot as it could allow brief brakes, convention tourism and cruise tourism, as each Saudi Arabia and Cyprus are thought of as departure factors for cruises.
“Jeddah with its brief flight length can be very best for attracting vacationers for brief cruises and can be very best for Cypriots aiming for a brief cruise in Saudi Arabia as effectively,” he mentioned.
Replying to a query, Perdios mentioned the air carriers haven’t finalised their flight programmes for 2022.
We consider that this was the appropriate timing and that’s the reason we made this journey, he added.
Perdios additionally mentioned that in his contacts, he conveyed a message by the Cyprus Minister of Transport that Cyprus would consider a potential request for the granting of the 5th freedom, if one is submitted. The fifth freedom entails the appropriate to an airline to hold passengers from one`s personal nation to a second nation, and from that nation onward to a 3rd nation.
Perdios will journey to Dubai to accompany Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades in his go to to United Arab Emirates.
(CNA)