NICOSIA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Air traffic has picked up in Cyprus in the first few days of May, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said on Tuesday.
Karousos said in a tweet that in the first nine days of May, air passenger traffic accounted for 59 percent of that for the whole of April.
Air flights in the first nine days of May reached 43.6 percent of those for the whole of April, he said.
"With steady steps and good omens, we are entering the summer season with increased flights and strong interest from airlines. As we improve our epidemiological picture, our air connectivity and tourism will also see the benefits," Karousos said.
Tourism in Cyprus took a beating as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with statistics showing a decrease of over 93 percent in tourist arrivals for the first three months of this year.
Deputy Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios said there has been a flow of tourists from Sweden in the past few days, on top of steady arrivals from Russia, the second largest tourist market for Cyprus.
He said that more tourists from northern European countries are expected these days, but added that the stakes are on the UK market, the main source of tourists visiting the eastern Mediterranean island.
Hermes Airports, the operators of the island's two international airports at Larnaca and Paphos, said a total of 220 flights are expected this week, compared with about 35 flights a week in April.
Maria Kouroupi, a senior official with Hermes, said flights from the UK are expected to pick up in June as various airlines, including British Airways, began adding flights to their schedules.
Cyprus counts on tourism for the restart of its economy, as the tourism and travel sectors contribute about 25 percent to the country's annual economy. Enditem