Royal Caribbean’s decision to establish a Cyprus presence was received as part of a statement welcoming, Deputy Maritime Affairs Minister Vasilis Dimitriadis said the move shows the government’s ability to turn a crisis into an opportunity.
Mr. Dimitriadis, in his statement, welcomes the Royal Caribbean Group’s announcement of the opening of an office in Cyprus, as well as the registration of a cruise ship in the Cypriot registry, “specifically the ship Spectrum of the Seas, which, since last Friday, has raised the Cypriot flag.”
“The Royal’s decision is a tangible example of how the Government turns a crisis into an opportunity,” he says, noting that, “as is known,” Cyprus during the pandemic was coordinated by the Deputy Ministry of Maritime Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministries of Transport and Health and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, enabled the repatriation and change of crew for more than 65,000 sailors, while the “National Program we adopted to cover the vaccination of 40,000 sailors” was implemented with great success. “The above together with the service we offer put Cyprus on the world cruise map,” he adds.
The Royal’s decision to establish a permanent headquarters in Cyprus, which will be the center of its shipping activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as the trust the company has shown in the Cypriot flag, says the deputy minister, “create conditions for further strengthening of cooperation, which will bring significant benefits both for Cyprus Shipping, but also more widely and in the consolidation of Cyprus as a center of quality cruises, which is a fact that further strengthens our tourism product, making a significant contribution to the local economy”.
“The improvement of our shipping product and the strengthening of our incentives and services, as designed and implemented through the National Strategy “SEA Change 2030”, has laid a solid foundation for the prosperous future of Cypriot shipping,” concludes Mr. Dimitriadis in his statement.