Thanos Michaelides on the tourism benefits and challenges of Cyprus joining the Schengen Zone

Cyprus' planned accession to the Schengen Zone is also expected to have a positive impact on the tourism sector, as it will make the country even more attractive and accessible to foreign tourists.

In fact, tourism stakeholders believe that joining the Schengen Zone will contribute to and strengthen the recent years’ efforts to make Cyprus a year-round destination.

However, beyond the positives, they also identify challenges, which, however, are not expected to have a negative impact on tourism. One such challenge could be the management of citizens from the United Kingdom.

More specifically, in his statements to InBusinessNews , the President of the Pancyprian Cyprus Hotel Association (PASYXE), Thanos Michaelides, estimated that "despite any challenges that may exist, the integration of Cyprus into the Schengen Zone will be in the interest of our country, because it will significantly facilitate the movement of citizens within the European Union."

As he explained, "individuals from third countries who have a Schengen visa will be able to travel more easily to Cyprus and therefore we are expected to become more attractive as a destination and more accessible to these individuals."

"The same," he added, "will also apply to the workforce that may have a Schengen visa and therefore we are expected to see an improvement in the situation at this level as well."

The challenge

According to Michaelides, the only challenge that Cyprus may be called upon to manage is the management of citizens of the United Kingdom, which is also the main tourism market.

"Provided that we can give the British a solution that will not make it difficult for them to come here, then joining the Schengen Zone will be very positive. Of course, this also depends on how the European Union will manage the citizens of the United Kingdom and whether they will need a visa, etc.," he pointed out.

"This is the only point - if you will - that may create a small difficulty for us, but I do not believe that it will be a deterrent for a Briton to come to Cyprus," the PASYXE President further indicated, noting that "provided that tourists from the United Kingdom will not encounter difficulties in traveling to Cyprus, I believe that our membership in the Schengen Zone will help us."

Asked whether joining the Schengen Zone will contribute to the effort to transform Cyprus into a year-round tourist destination, Michaelides said that "certainly when you become a more attractive destination, we consider this to be year-round."

"We do not expect that the type of demand will change, that is, that because we will join the Schengen Zone, more tourists will come in the winter. We see it more generally, that we will be a more accessible, more interesting and more attractive destination," he concluded.

Airports in view

On her part, the the Director of Aviation Development, Marketing and Communication at Hermes Airports, Maria Kouroupi, told InBusinessNews that "our airports were designed taking into account the possibility of Cyprus joining the Schengen Zone", noting that "these plans were recently updated with Phase B of the Larnaca and Paphos airports".

"When the Government gives the green light for Schengen accession, we are ready to activate the implementation plan," she concluded.

(Source: InBusinessNews)