From March 1, 2022, the tourist protocols of Cyprus have practically returned to the conditions of the summer season 2021: Russians vaccinated with WHO and EMA approved vaccines, as well as Sputnik V and Sputnik Light, only need a vaccination certificate to enter Cyprus.

The demand for foreign holidays during the May holidays is still behind the pre-Covid 2019 period by about 10%. The most popular destination for Russian tourists during this period is Turkey.

In 2022, Russian tour operators are actively entering the Cyprus market and expanding their flight programs.

The Government of Cyprus has made a number of decisions concerning the conditions of entry of foreign citizens from March 1, 2022. Thus, travelers who have been vaccinated or have had coronavirus are exempt from the obligations of providing PCR tests.

The Council of Ministers of Cyprus recently approved a new action plan for the smooth operation of flights and airports at Larnaca and Paphos in the Covid-19era that will come into effect from March 1. According to the new action plan, the categorization of countries based on their epidemiological risk will change and will include three categories with the following colour code: Green, Red and Grey Category. Vaccinated travelers or those who have recovered from Covid-19, regardless of nationality and country of departure, are exempt from the obligation to meet the requirements of the corresponding category (e.g. present a negative laboratory test, obligation to self-isolate/quarantine, issue a special permit, etc.) of the country of departure.

Cyprus has taken an important step in attracting Russian tourists by recognizing Sputnik Light, a single-dose vaccine, as a vaccine.

The tour operator Pegas Turistik has presented a flight program to Cyprus for the summer season 2022. The program is planned with direct flights of the Nord Wind airline to Larnaca from twelve Russian cities.

In sales of the November holidays’ tours Egypt was in the first place. Turkey was in the second place. The third place was taken by the UAE. Also, the Dominican Republic, Maldives, Cuba, Mexico, Hungary and Cyprus are in high demand.

In 9 months of 2021, almost 418 thousand citizens of the Russian Federation visited the country. As per the estimates of the Cypriot tourist authorities, by the end of 2021, more than 500 thousand Russian citizens will visit Cyprus.

For the nine months of 2021, Russians made 5,24 million trips to open and popular countries for the purpose of tourism. The volume of outbound tourist traffic is far behind the indicators of 2019.

In the first half of 2021, the most popular destinations among Russian travelers were Turkey, Cyprus and Greece.

According to experts, in 2021 the number of tourist arrivals to Cyprus from Russia may exceed 400 thousand.

Tours for the autumn season, 2021, according to the observations of the tourist experts, are quite in demand. In general, the TOP-10 most popular foreign destinations for the autumn season this year, as per the data of tour operators, includes Turkey, UAE, Maldives, Greece, Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Abkhazia and Croatia.

The Russian anti-coronavirus crisis center said that restrictions on regular and charter flight travel from Russia to the number of abroad destinations will be lifted on August 27.

The Russians are in the first place in terms of the number of tourist arrivals to Cyprus in June. At the same time, tour operators record a significant growth in demand for accommodation in high-quality hotels.

The Greek authorities have accelerated the issuance of a QR code, and in Cyprus the cost of PCR tests for COVID-19, which Russian tourists undergo upon arrival, have significantly decreased.

Russian passengers vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine will not be tested in Cyprus, according to the medical department.

S7 Airlines announced the start of direct flights from the regions of the Russian Federation to Cyprus in June. Departures are planned from Krasnodar, Samara, Kazan and Yekaterinburg.

For the first time, Pobeda Airlines announced flights to Cyprus from Yekaterinburg, Kazan and Perm. Direct flights have been announced from mid-June. Flights are already available for booking.

From May 1, Russia may resume regular flights with the Republic of Cyprus, which were interrupted in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

The range of countries where a tourist can go from April to June is significantly limited and there are few alternatives in terms of price / service ratio as in Turkey.

Cyprus has announced the long-awaited opening of its borders for Russians. Citizens of the Russian Federation will be able to enter Cyprus without quarantine from April 1, 2021.

The Cypriot authorities have postponed the opening of the country for Russian tourists until April 1.

On March 1 Cyprus will resume issuing tourist visas for citizens of the Russian Federation. It will be possible to issue visas online.

Cyprus will open its borders to Russian tourists on March 1. They will not need to undergo quarantine if the test for coronavirus upon arrival turns out to be negative.