''The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) has been given the go ahead from the EU to provide support to global airlines to introduce new routes to the island. The move from the EU and the Cyriot government is part of a strategy to bring in more tourists.

''It's a new schem and a transparent one, which is applicable to all European airlines, not just low cost carriers,'' said CTO director general Phoebe Katsouri in an interview with the Cyprus Mail. The CTO revealed that it had been working for months to secure the deal with the EU, which bans direct subsidies to the airline industry from countries within the Union.

Katsouri said she was in the process of negotiating new deals with several airlines, and that Ryanair and easyJet were two of them. However, the new routes to the island, if taken up by EU airlines, will not be implemented before next year. ''The earliest would be winter 2008 -2009 and even that is doubtful,'' Katsouri said.''But this is a chance, and we are doing our utmost nor to waste any time. From 2009 there will ne concrete results.''

Source from Overseas Property Professional (OPP) Magazine May 2008