- Title: CYPRUS: Cyprus banking crisis a worry for tourists
- Date: 22nd March 2013
- Summary: AYIA NAPA, CYPRUS (MARCH 21, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AYIA NAPA SEA FRONT VARIOUS OF PIRATE SHIP WITH WORKERS VARIOUS OF LITTLE PORT TRACTOR ON BEACH GERMAN TOURISTS WALKING PAST (SOUNDBITE) (English) GERMAN TOURIST, SAYING: "If somebody is fearful or says I don't want to have any problem then he might say I go to another destination." STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH TOURIST ROBERT SMITH, SAYING: "At the moment it's not anything major because due to the facts that most of our accounts are over in England but with the money that we've got here then yeah we are definitely going to be seeing some problems maybe, but it all depends on how things turn out really." STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSIAN TOURIST ANDREW KALCHENKO, SAYING: "We are tourists, we came here about one week ago, to be frank we haven't heard about the crisis at all. There is no problem with the bank machine, there is no problem in the shops, there is no problem with any other things. There is no crisis in Cyprus I think." VARIOUS OF BANK
- Embargoed: 6th April 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Cyprus
- City:
- Country: Cyprus
- Topics: Economy,Politics,Travel / Tourism
- Reuters ID: LVA7X40DXFXIMBGM03597621YOOC
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Cyprus sea-side resort of Ayia Napa, a popular attraction for thousands of tourists from around Europe, was very quiet on Thursday (March 21) as the capital of the island was scrambling to avert a financial meltdown.
As local residents working in the tourism industry were preparing for the upcoming high season, the few tourists who had chosen to escape the cold weather from Northern parts of Europe, seemed confused and concerned about the latest financial storm hitting the tiny island state.
"If somebody is fearful or says I don't want to have any problem then he might say I go to another destination," said one German tourist.
"At the moment it's not anything major because due to the facts that most of our accounts are over in England but with the money that we've got here then yeah we are definitely going to be seeing some problems maybe, but it all depends on how things turn out really," added British tourist Robert Smith.
"We are tourists, we came here about one week ago, to be frank we haven't heard about the crisis at all. There is no problem with the bank machine, there is no problem in the shops, there is no problem with any other things. There is no crisis in Cyprus I think," said Andrew Kalchenko, a tourist from Russia.
Cyprus has faced the prospect of bankruptcy since Tuesday (March 19) when its tiny parliament voted unanimously against a levy on bank deposits to raise 5.8 billion euros demanded by the EU under a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) rescue.
Banks, shut since the weekend, were to stay closed for the rest of the week and not reopen till Tuesday after a holiday weekend, extending the misery of Cypriot businesses already feeling the pinch.
Cypriots have since queued at cash machines for fear that there would be a cash shortage. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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