Oguz Akancay, Vice President of the Association of Turkish Cypriot Tourism and Travel Agencies (KITSAB), said that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will gain momentum in the tourism market in Russia and will achieve good results thanks to its cooperation with Turkiye.
Akancay made evaluations to the AA correspondent within the scope of the Moscow International Tourism Fair, which attracted great interest from tourism professionals.
Explaining that European countries lost the Russian market due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Akancay stated that Southern Cyprus was among the countries that lost the Russian market.
Akançay stated that Russia is a friendly country and said, “There is no Southern Cyprus at the moment. There is Northern Cyprus at the moment. We consider Russia as a friend at the moment. At this time, in this war environment, we come here and attend the fair.”
Stating that they had productive meetings in Moscow, Akancay said, “We had good meetings with both the operators and the relevant people here to gain good momentum. 2024, as you know, the summer season starts in a month or two, but we are currently planning for 2025. We are doing it in 2026. So it is not possible to just talk about 2024.”
The importance of cooperation with Turkiye
Noting that they set up a nice stand within the scope of the fair, Akancay said that they were pleased with the interest they received.
Emphasizing that TRNC will become an important holiday destination in the Russian tourism market, Akancay said, “Within the scope of our contacts, we discussed that it is possible to easily reach Ercan Airport from Russian airports via Turkiye. We want Russian citizens to use Ercan Airport easily.”
Akançay pointed out that Turkiye has a very good tourism potential with Antalya and other cities and said, “We want to benefit from this. That’s why we continue our work.”
Stating that a new terminal has been built at Ercan Airport and that they will gain momentum in tourism if flights are made easier, Akançay said, “We are here as Turkiye, as Northern Cyprus, as two Turkish states. That is why we think that we will achieve results by cooperating well.”
Russians’ interest in TRNC is increasing
TRNC, one of the important tourism countries of the Mediterranean region, hosts approximately 2 million tourists every year.
While the interest of Russian tourists in the country has increased, especially after the Ukrainian war, TRNC officials are working on tourism promotions in Russia.
In the news reported in the Russian press last year, it was reported that the Russian Embassy in the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GCASC) would begin to provide consular services for Russian citizens in Nicosia, the capital of the TRNC.
It is stated that approximately 50 thousand Russian citizens live in TRNC.
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz