Easyjet and Jet2 airlines are both starting new flights to Paphos for the summer season. As of April 14, easyJet will begin flights from Bristol to Paphos four times a week and Edinburgh to Paphos twice a week. The low-cost airline already operates a number of flights to and from Cyprus, mainly from Paphos to Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester. Jet2’s new flights for summer will start from the beginning of May and there will be weekly flights from Paphos to East Midlands and Newscastle until October 31. The new flights were announced by Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) Chairman Alecos Orountiotis, who was in London for a series of meetings on Thursday and Friday with Uk tour operators and airlines as part of the efforts to boost tourism to the island. Jet2 estimatesit will carry 82,400 passengers to Cyprus in 2010 compared to 37,000 in 2009, while Easyjet will be able to carry 225,000 passengers in 2010 compared to 155,000 in 2009. Tour operators pledged to maintain the same number of passengers as in 2009 or even increase it slightly, the CTO said, adding that Cyprus remained a popular tourist destination. Orountiotis said that Cyprus is not a cheap destination but CTO and other tourist professionals are making efforts to upgrade the level of services for tourists. Hoteliers warned on Thursday that a slight boost in tourist arrivals this year would not be enough to take the ailing sector back on path to recovery. Despite some positive signs in recent weeks, with an increase in hotel reservations compared to the same period last year, one should not use 2009 as a measure of comparison since that year was the worst in the decade, they said. Latest available figures for 2009 showed an 11 per cent drop in arrivals, and a 17 per cent drop in revenue. Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Antonis Paschalides concedes that 2009 was a “particularly difficult year for our tourism” but said this should be seen in the wider context of the global economic crisis. The minister said also that the doomsayers, who had predicted an even worse year for 2009, had been proven wrong. The government anticipates that the operation of marinas and theme parks will give a much-needed boost to tourism this summer.
Feb 28 2010
Health
tourism can
benefit
local
patients
The
promotion of
health
tourism to
Cyprus could
have a
knock-on
effect in
the quality
and cost of
private
healthcare
provided on
the island,
operators
said
yesterday.
First,
though, it
must sort
out the
problem of
€23 million
in
outstanding
debts
incurred
from
treating EU
citizens who
qualify for
free
healthcare
on the
island. The
debts are a
result of
the hanging
issue of the
accreditation
of private
healthcare
institutes
operating
here. “If
health
services are
not
accredited,
then they
can’t be
sold outside
Cyprus. When
he sees that
a hospital
is
accredited,
[the average
European]
feels
comfortable,”
said
Mavroudis.
Currently
the
accreditation
position is
lagging
considerably
in Cyprus, a
situation
that has
been ongoing
for two
years. The
Health
Ministry
promised to
co-sponsor
the
accreditation
applications
of a number
of private
health
institutions
but, so far,
only the
Bank of
Cyprus
oncology
centre in
Nicosia has
been
accredited.
This lag in
the
accreditation
situation
also means
that private
healthcare
institutions
in Cyprus
which treat
foreign
citizens
resident in
Cyprus under
reciprocal
treatment
schemes
cannot
secure
payment for
the
treatments
from the
national
governments
of insurance
companies in
question.
“The
increase in
the quality
standards
which comes
with health
tourism will
also benefit
local
patients,”
said Nikos
Mavroudis,
President of
the Cyprus
Health
Agency. The
standards,
service and
perhaps,
above all,
cost of
healthcare
in Cyprus is
deemed
sufficiently
competitive
in the
European
market for
the Cyprus
Chamber of
Commerce and
Industry (CCCI)
to have
scheduled a
conference
to promote
and examine
the industry
this
weekend.
Dental
treatment in
Cyprus, for
example, is
on average
about 40-50
per cent
cheaper than
the UK.
“Cyprus is
in line with
European
standards
and in a
harmonised
position
regarding
the
healthcare
industry, so
it is useful
for
Europeans
who wish to
undergo
treatment,”
said Manthos
Mavromatis,
the
President of
the CCCI.
The
conference,
Healthcare
Business and
Health
Travelling,
is to be
held this
weekend at
the
Nicosia’s
Hilton
hotel. Its
aim is to
present
paradigms
whereby the
field of
healthcare
provision in
Cyprus might
be improved,
including
the cost and
quality of
the services
offered.
“The Health
Ministry has
engaged in
an
unforgivable
delay in
certifying
some private
healthcare
institutes.
We call on
the ministry
to certify
them, so
that they
can get on
with doing
their job,”
said
Mavromatis.
Nicolleta
Pafitou, an
officer with
the Cyprus
Tourism
Organisation
(CTO) said
that the CTO
was aware of
11 health
centres, yet
to receive
Health
Ministry
accreditation,
where
private
investors
have
expressed an
interest
filed with
the CTO
under the
Motivational
Plan for the
Improvement
of the
Tourist
Product.
Simeon
Matsis, a
former
Director of
the Ministry
of Health
and the
Chairman of
the
conference
said the
organisers’
goal was to
address four
domains
relevant to
the field.
The first of
these was
the economic
domain,
which
includes the
tourism side
of
healthcare
provision.
The second
was the
certification
of medical
services and
their
provision at
a good level
of quality,
both factors
which were
necessary to
attract the
foreign
healthcare
consumer.
The third
domain was
the correct
management
and
administration
of private
healthcare
institutions
and the
fourth was
the
encouragement
of
investment
in the field
by
businessmen
when,
hitherto, it
has been
mainly
doctors who
invested in
private
healthcare
institutions
in Cyprus.
With the
economic
crisis a
drop in
foreign
custom as
high as 30
per cent has
been
experienced
by private
healthcare
providers on
the island.
This is a
trend which
has also
been
affected by
cheaper
alternative
destinations
being
available
for the
medical
tourist,
such as
Hungary,
Bulgaria and
Syria.As
regards
European
prices, said
Mavroudis,
Cyprus
remains
“very
competitive”
in terms of
the costs
involved. As
regards the
situation
outside of
Europe, the
accreditation
of the
healthcare
institutions
involved is
often
perceived as
being less
reliable.
Nevertheless,
Cyprus does
need to work
on remaining
competitive
and on
lowering its
prices. “The
health
sector in
Cyprus in
the last few
years has
been a
champion
athlete in
the field of
increasing
their
prices,”
said
Mavromatis.
Feb 25 2010
Cyprus Airways (CY) new Airbus A320 christened ‘Aphrodite’ yesterday made its maiden flight from the Airbus factory in Toulouse to Larnaca. Another Airbus A320, named ‘Lefkosia’ was delivered on Saturday and a third will arrive in May, to be named ‘Amathus’. The three new aircraft are part of CY’s plans to renew its fleet. The airline said the new Airbuses would provide more comfort to passengers. Each has 152 leather seats of which 20 are in Business Class, which has been redesigned to offer more space. The fleet renewal process began in November 2008 with the receipt of a new Airbus 319. Last month the airline also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CIT Aerospace International, an Irish aircraft leasing company, to lease another three A320s for a period of 96 months.
23 Feb 10
Dublin and
Kiev added
to CY’s busy
summer
schedule
NATIONAL
carrier
Cyprus
Airways (CY)
is to add
Kiev and
Dublin to
its list of
destinations
in 2010, the
airline has
announced.
At the same
time, CY
plans to fly
more
frequently
to a number
of existing
destinations.
Weekly
flights to
Beirut are
to be
doubled,
from seven
currently to
14. In
addition,
flights to
Tel Aviv are
to be
increased
from seven
to nine, to
Moscow from
three to
four, and to
Brussels
from two to
five times a
week.The
plans for
2010 were
unveiled
yesterday
during a
meeting of
CY’s
leadership
and the
Cyprus
Tourism
Organisation.
13 Feb 10
Paphos
airport
voted number
one
Paphos
International
airport has
come out top
of the major
European
airports.
Hermes
Airports
spokesman
Adam Aspris
told the
Paphos Post
that in a
poll held by
Thomson
Airways,
their
passengers
ranked Pafos
International
Airport as
the first
major
airport of
Europe. The
poll
concerned
all airports
used in the
Thomson
Airways
network
during the
2009 summer
period. More
than one
quarter of
passengers
who use the
airport are
customers of
Thomson.
Paphos
Airport
received the
highest
percentage
of votes and
was chosen
as the
airport,
which leaves
the most
favourable
impression
on
travellers
and at the
same time
offers
exceptional
service to
the
travelling
public.
“This is the
first time
that an
airport of
the Cyprus
Republic has
occupied
such an
honoured
position and
has been
awarded
“Best Resort
Airport in
Europe” by
the
travelling
public”,
said Aspris.
The multi
million-euro
airport has
been opened
for just
over a year
and deals
with
thousands of
passengers
on a daily
basis.
Feb 10
Low cost
airline
offers more
flight
options
The
Romanian-owned
low-cost
airline Blue
Air has
permanently
based its
fleet in
Cyprus and
will offer
cheap flight
options to
new
destinations,
it announced
yesterday.
From March 28, travellers will have the option of three direct flights per week from Larnaca to Italy (Milan), Austria (Vienna) and Poland (Warsaw), and a daily flight to Romania (Bucharest), plus four flights per week from Paphos to Greece (Thessaloniki). London (Luton) will also be accessible via Bucharest.
Blue Air began with just three destinations in 2004, and today flies to 55 destinations in 13 European countries, operating a fleet of nine Boeing and two SAAB aircraft. Having completed its first five years of successful operations out of Romania in 2009, the low-cost airline is starting 2010 by permanently basing its aircraft in Cyprus. Five more new Boeings will be added to the fleet in 2010, with plans for a further five in the coming years.
Hermes Airports Marketing Manager Ken Hassard said that Blue Air’s operations out of Larnaca and Paphos “will have the immediate effect of increasing the number of daily flights and frequency in serving international markets from our airports.”
Hassard said that as part of its current marketing strategy, Hermes Airports had identified “more than 50 major cities within less than four hours flying time that currently have no direct air services to Cyprus.”
100 extra
charter flights this summer
CYPRUS AIRWAYS (CY) will operate
100 more charter flights this
summer to and from eight
destinations in Greece and other
cities in Europe and Egypt.
A CY announcement said the company had signed an agreement with Royal Holidays tour operators for the flights, which are scheduled to begin on July 4 and end by August 30.
CY aircraft will carry 16,000 passengers to various destinations in Greece, Alexandroupoli, Santorini, Mykonos, Kavala, Corfu, Skiathos, Samos and Rhodes.
In the framework of this agreement, CY will carry out additional chartered flights to destinations in Italy to Rome, Milan and Venice, in Spain to Barcelona and Madrid, and in the Czech Republic to Prague. The Egyptian tourist resort of Sharm El Sheikh has also been included in the programme. All flights will be operated from Larnaca.
The airline said the agreement was particularly important for Cyprus Airways given the fact that it was signed during a very difficult economic period and offered an opportunity to improve the company’s financial situation.