Giant Russian tour operator OTI is planning to bring more than 35,000 tourists to Cyprus in 2016 via its subsidiaries Coral Travel and Sunmar Tours, it announced on Tuesday.

In Cyprus, the company, which has included Cyprus for the first time in its programmes, is represented by Louis travel.

“Already last December and for the whole winter season,” a statement said, “the Russian tourist giant started sending tourists to Cyprus on a regular basis. It is expected that in 2016, Coral Travel will bring more than 35,000 tourists to the island. The flights it has launched will connect Cyprus with the eight largest cities of the Russian Federation and at the same arrivals from Ukraine, Belarus and Poland are planned.”

The OTI group employs more than 7,000 people. Apart from offering tour operator services, the company owns the nine hotels of the luxury chain Otium and the airline Royal Flight with eight planes.

According to the press release, Coral Travel is present in six countries including Greece and with Sunmar Tours served 5.5 million tourists in 2015.