Filenews 12 February 2026 - by Angelos Angelodimou
The strategic expansion in the vast Asian continent continues, in terms of opening new tourist destinations. After Saudi Arabia, a particularly important country for Cyprus in relation to the efforts to develop our tourism in this geographical area, it is now the turn of Kazakhstan, one of the most important economies in Central Asia.
As is known, after the loss of the Russian market, which was in second place in arrivals before the start of the war in Ukraine, the competent bodies chose to move to central European countries for the development of new destinations, while now Asia seems to be taking its turn. The beginning was made with Poland, which had impressive results, being the third largest market now in terms of arrivals. Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis attaches great importance to the German market, Europe's largest economy and one of the largest tourist markets in the world. Already, efforts have begun to bear fruit with a significant increase in arrivals. Romania and Austria are also considered promising markets for Cyprus.
Starting the journey to the Asian continent, Israel has evolved into a key market for our country, not only in terms of tourism, but for the Cypriot economy in general. In 2025, it found Israel in second place in terms of tourist arrivals.
This was followed by the opening of the Saudi market with direct air flights.
Yesterday's announcement by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism refers to the start of regular routes for flights from Kazakhstan to Cyprus. As mentioned, this is a development of historical importance, as Cyprus is directly connected to the Central Asian country for the first time. The flights are scheduled to start in early June 2026 and include connecting Larnaca Airport with Kazakhstan's two most important cities, the capital Astana and the most populous city Almaty. The route will be operated by the airline Air Astana, with two flights per week, every Tuesday and Saturday, from Astana and two flights per week, every Thursday and Sunday, from Almaty.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis, said, among other things, that the launch of direct flights from Kazakhstan to our country is undoubtedly a success. "Kazakhstan is not just a new market, it is the largest economy in Central Asia and we believe that it can turn into a good market for tourism in our country in the long run."
