CTO Chairman, Fotis Fotiou flew to Moscow on Monday morning to attend the MITT tourist exhibition and review the emerging problems that have become a suspending factor in the increase in tourist arrivals from the Russian market.

Mr. Fotiou told StockWatch that at the current stage the factors impending for the increase in Russian tourist arrivals are:

a) The visas, although the problems have been largely overcome. “We will have contacts with the Russian tour operators and in cooperation with the Cyprus ambassador to Moscow and other Foreign Ministry officials we will trace the problem”, the CTO Chairman said.
b) Specification of the problem caused by the exchange rate of the dollar with the Cyprus pound.

Mr. Fotiou told StockWatch that at the meeting with the Kykkos Monastery Reverend, Nikiforos, the two parties decided to cooperate for the promotion of religion tourism, for which the Russian market has widely expressed its interest.

CTO and the Church discussed issues concerning the creation of the proper infrastructure or the upgrading of the existing projects to achieve the joint goal for:

1. a conference on religion
2. the visit of Russian tourists in archeological sites, monasteries, temples and museums.

It is noted that the government’s aim for the attraction of religion tourism by the Russian market is already included in the Strategic Planning with specific timetable.

“The cooperation between the State and the Church is necessary”, Mr. Fotiou concluded.