Cyprus Mail 13 June 2020 - by Nick Theodoulou
THE Cypriot summer season for Brits is likely to start in mid-July as the holiday island even has plans for ‘safety net hotels’ should tourists fall ill with Covid-19.
While everyone is hoping for the best – no infections – plans are underway to offer a holiday vibe even to those who test positive.
Bingo, karaoke, entertainment shows and room service are on the menu but details about facilities for those found positive have not yet been finalised.
Speaking to the Daily Mail on Friday, Deputy Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios said: “They can order room service, meals and drinks, and will be provided with nightly entertainment including karaoke, shows and bingo so it will still feel like a holiday.
“The government will cover the cost of this. We don’t want visitors to end up paying double.”
So, will tourists – including their friends and family – have boozy balcony parties while singing karaoke?
“As for room service and whether there will be many alcoholic drinks being paid for by the government I am not sure yet, it is possible but we don’t know,” an official in the hotel industry told the Cyprus Mail.
He explained that a competition for which hotels will be awarded tenders by the government is still ongoing. Which hotels, how many and in which regions remains to be seen, but more details are expected on Monday.
One option, he said, is agreements with local alcohol producers to turn on the taps to quarantined tourists. Another may be a voucher system which would allow for a few drinks each night.
“But it will most likely be similar to what the returning students had on offer,” the official said.
Students and others being repatriated to Cyprus had their two-week stay in hotels covered by the government. They were given three meals a day with a variety of options. Extras, such as frappes and cappuccinos, were not paid for by the government.
Although the repatriating students and others were sometimes put up in some of the island’s top hotels they were not allowed to leave their room. That meant no swimming pools, gyms and other amenities which patrons normally expect.
By mid-July, however, that could change.
“If the hotel has only people who tested positive then why couldn’t the guests use the swimming pool?” the official mused.
As for the medical care tourists can expect, Perdios said that: “The hotel will have dedicated intensive care beds and ventilators and the government will cover all their medical expenses until they’re fit to fly home.
“We have a higher ratio of intensive care beds than the average country in the EU and people are going to be looking at those statistics when deciding where to holiday this year.
“We want people to feel confident when visiting and know that they will be looked after if they become ill.”
The UK is traditionally Cyprus’ biggest source of tourists but allowing British tourists to the island may come with a requirement that they have a certificate proving they have tested negative for Covid-19.
