Cyprus to open up doors to vaccinated tourists from 65 countries

Cyprus to open up doors to vaccinated tourists from 65 countries

NICOSIA: Cyprus said Monday it will open up to vaccinated tourists from 65 countries starting May 10, with visitors allowed entry without needing a negative Covid test or undergo quarantine.

"We will notify our partners in around 65 countries that from 10 May entry will be facilitated for travelers who have completed their vaccination with no need for negative Covid tests or quarantine," Tourism Minister Savvas Perdios said.

He told the Cyprus News Agency countries included on the list are Armenia, Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Switzerland.

European Union member Cyprus will accept tourists who had completed their vaccination, regardless of when they took the second jab.

Perdios said the new move would help revive a flagging tourism sector decimated by the pandemic.

Cyprus agreed over a month ago that vaccinated Israeli and British tourists could visit the east Mediterranean holiday destination without entry restrictions.

Britain is the island's largest market for tourists making up a third of nearly four million arrivals in 2019, while nearby Israel is its third-biggest source.

Authorities are waiting for the UK government to announce when they will allow Britons to take holidays abroad.

At the moment, Russia -- the island's second-largest tourist market --