Who, why and how is going to the island now.
“I would not have taken you here earlier in the morning,” said our guide Vasily, “when we finally climbed to the walls of the famous Cypriot Orthodox monastery of Kikkos.” There was a queue at the entrance for an hour and a half. And now…”. The walls of the monastery are empty. It’s not crowded inside either. This is understandable: it is a weekday, there is no service, there are few Russian tourists in Cyprus now. A representative of the Profi editorial office.Travel Elena Komarova got the opportunity, at the invitation of the Russian Express tour operator, to see how tourist Cyprus is living now.
The courtyard of the Kikkos Monastery
Of course, the flow of pilgrims to the monastery of the Kikk Icon of the Mother of God, one of the three oldest monasteries on the island, does not dry up. Peace and quiet is an ideal atmosphere for those who have come to worship the local shrines, the main of which is the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Kykkos, according to legend, painted by the Evangelist Luke. But the absence of Russian tourists in Orthodox monasteries is perhaps more noticeable than in other places on the island.
A fragment of a modern mosaic of the Kikka Monastery, telling the story of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God
There are no Russian charters, what are they instead?
Until 2022, approximately 40% of the Cypriot tourist flow was made up of tourists from Of Russia. EU sanctions have blocked the way for Russian charters. Now from Russia can be reached by connecting flights to Cyprus, for example, by transfer via Yerevan, or with a connection in Kuwait.
The island’s tourism industry has tried to compensate for the missing volumes of tourist traffic — and it has succeeded to some extent. There is an extensive flight program on a low-cost airline from Poland (several cities), the number of bookings from Israel and Armenia has increased. Now the occupancy rate of hotels, according to the company that hosted us in Cyprus, is high. The beaches, as always in the season, are packed to the brim.
The beach of the Cape Greco Forest Park
However, Russian tourists are still expected here. There are several reasons. First of all, of course, there is nothing to hide, the economic one. Everyone knows that our people part with money on vacation much more willingly than Europeans or Israelis. That’s why all the resort shops still have inscriptions in Russian and Russian-speaking employees.
Secondly, there is an opinion that the Greeks of southern Cyprus are perceived as brothers, and Russians, like other Orthodox Christians, as cousins. And this has developed historically.
Investment projects are changing the image of Cyprus
The Great and Mighty
Experts will say: there are too many Russians in Cyprus without tourists, or rather, Russian-speakers. And it really is. Those wishing to move to the warm sea from Russia has always been there: during the Soviet era, and in the 90s, and later, when it was possible to get a Cypriot passport for investments, and now…
Limassol has become known as a “Russian” city. In recent years, real estate prices there have risen rapidly. A small sketch: on the beautiful promenade of the resort, they asked random passers—by to take photos – they spoke Russian. The photo turned out to be unsuccessful, after a couple of minutes we turned to the next ones — and they also spoke our native language.
Limassol Marina is a modern multifunctional space: port, entertainment, cafes and restaurants
To be honest, I can’t immediately remember another such foreign resort where the Russian language would be so actively used. The guide (Vasily Chernykh, Attica Holidays) explains: at least a third of the population can speak Russian. Even in remote villages, there will definitely be someone who understands Russian. This is a consequence of the long—term ties between the countries. There are many mixed marriages with Russians in Cyprus (let’s recall the attitude towards Orthodoxy), most often they were formed during the study of Cypriots in our country back in Soviet times. But the relationship goes even further back into the centuries — in the same Kikkos, gifts from Russian tsars sent with monks are carefully preserved.
From the assortment of the usual mini-market on the outskirts of Limassol
Why go to Cyprus now
I have been looking for an answer to this question all the time I was in Cyprus. Despite the fact that the travel time to the island has now increased significantly, and just the sea and the beach can be found closer… However, Cyprus has always had its fans who preferred this resort to everyone else.
Firstly, for our tourists today, a trip to Cyprus is perhaps one of the easiest ways to feel at a European resort. Although the direction has long been a visa, it is relatively simple to give it, it takes about a week to complete, the package of documents is simple.
The infrastructure of the Cypriot resorts — all these lovely restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, houses with walls overgrown with bougainvilleas — evokes memories of Greece. The undoubted advantage is the long promenades along the sea, as in Ayia Napa, or the luxurious embankments with palm trees, as in Limassol.
Ayia Napa Boardwalk
Secondly, a comfortable language environment and a good attitude towards Russians. All this has not gone away, and the famous Cypriot hospitality is still on top. Fresh seafood, local wines in cozy wineries… All this is there, and we are welcome everywhere.
Thirdly, of course, this is a journey for meanings. Cypriot monasteries and temples keep the most valuable relics of Christianity. Cultural and historical artifacts will allow you to make a journey into history. These are the things that cannot be felt in isolation from the territory, and therefore they will attract again and again.
Mosaic of the VI century A.D. in the church of Angeloktisti (“built by angels”) in the town of Kiti
“Tourists who are now going to Cyprus are, as a rule, those who have been used to vacationing on the island for many years and want to return again to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of local hospitality,” Anna Filatovskaya, director of public Relations at the Russian Express tour operator, which holds places in Cyprus for flights operated by Jazeera Airways through Kuwait. — Those who miss the old days, who have relatives, friends, and favorite places in Cyprus also go. Tours are booked mainly for 7-11 nights, accommodation is mainly in 4-5* hotels. There are different preferences for resorts, they choose Limassol, Paphos and Ayia Napa with Protaras in approximately equal proportions.
Lagoon at the Adams 5* Hotel, Ayia Napa
Vasilis Pavlou, director of the host company Attica Holidays, notes that this year tourists from There are more Russians: “The positive dynamics is very encouraging. This year, we see that there have been at least twice as many applications, if compared with last season’s figures,” he says. — Of course, tourists had certain concerns that year whether the flight program would take place or not. Now they know that everything is in force, everything is reliable, the flight program is stable, Russians are still expected and loved in Cyprus. We have a lot of returning tourists, we see it by their last names. They book their favorite hotels, book excursions. I am sure this season will be even more successful than last year. Interest in Cyprus is becoming more active, and we are glad about it. We are waiting for everyone in Cyprus!”
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