Comment by Russian Ambassador to Cyprus Murat Zyazikov to TASS news agency about the importance of tourist flow from Russia for Cyprus

• Before the restrictions were imposed, Russia was one of the key markets for the Cypriot tourism industry. The loss of this segment led the island to economic losses, which, according to experts, amounted to more than 1 billion euros per year. Tourists from Russia are still eagerly awaited in Cyprus.

• Owners of hotels, restaurants and other service and resort industry enterprises in Cyprus sincerely count on the return of a large flow of Russian tourists to the island. Both the indigenous Cypriots and more than one and a half hundred thousand of our compatriots living on the island sincerely hope that soon enough direct flights between Cyprus and the cities of Russia will be resumed, and with them the intensive flow of Russian tourists will return to the island.

• Even in the absence of direct flights between Russia and the Republic of Cyprus, the island continues to be a popular vacation destination for Russians and attracts an increasing number of guests from our country. This is evidenced by statistics: if in 2024 48 thousand Russians visited Cyprus for tourist purposes, then in 2025 there were already more than 64 thousand.

• I emphasize that expert assessments predict a clear increase in the number of arrivals of Russian tourists to the island by the end of this year.

@rusembcy