The Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB) has welcomed the support measures announced by the President as a step in the right direction, but warned that the scope of assistance for the tourism sector falls short of what is needed to address the damage already done to businesses or the challenges that lie ahead.
The federation said the outlook for the tourism season was not encouraging and called for continuous assessment of the situation, with readiness to design and announce targeted supplementary measures for the broader tourism sector — covering hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and theme parks, among others.
OEB also called for a continued and intensified communications strategy to send an international message that Cyprus remains a safe and reliable European destination for holidays, investment and business activity. Despite the positive signals from the announced measures, genuine economic recovery required a rapid return to full normality, it said.
Measures aimed at households and citizens were also considered to be moving in the right direction, the federation said, with their effectiveness expected to become clearer as the situation develops.
OEB said it would assess how the measures work in practice and, in cooperation with its tourism member bodies, return to the government with additional evidence-based and targeted recommendations.
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