A raft of significant deals during this year’s World Travel Market (WTM) in London which add more flights from the UK has left Cyprus “extremely satisfied”, the country’s Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis has told CNA.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency just before his departure for Cyprus, having attended the big tourism professionals’ event in the British capital over the week, Koumis said that "we are departing London and the WTM extremely satisfied by the contacts we have had."

"We came here aiming for a reasonable increase in the capacity of air travel seats to Cyprus. We have achieved this, therefore we are very pleased," he added. 

According to the Tourism Deputy Minister, "the decision by giants of the British tourism market to expand their summer schedule to the 15th November is something really encouraging for Cyprus’s tourism, and it also helps our efforts to expand the tourism period.”

Turning to more specific references to deals agreed, he noted that "we consider as extremely important news for our country’s tourism the decision by easyJet to launch flights from Belfast in Northern Ireland." It was a market demand which is being fulfilled, he added, pointing out that "another important development is the launch of flights from Glasgow, Scotland."

At the same time, Koumis said, "we welcome the decision by British Airways to turn its flight schedule from Gatwick to Larnaca to an all-year-round route."

"This is another piece of news that supports our effort towards the expansion of the tourism period, with the ultimate goal to turn Cyprus into an all-year-round destination,” he said.

Cyprus was represented at this year’s World Travel Market by 55 tourism enterprises as well as tourism authorities, while the Deputy Minister held at least 35 meetings with organisations, airlines and other tourism entities. 

Koumis also discussed the new trends and the bilateral collaboration with Greece’s Minister for Tourism Olga Kefaloyianni.

On Wednesday he presented an award to the successful UK Cypriot businessman John Christodoulou for his charitable foundation’s initiative to help young Cypriots better understand the significance of the tourism sector through photography and film competitions.