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The first case of coronavirus was registered with a German tourist a year ago. All schools were closed the very next day, and the authorities implemented full quarantine two weeks later. The only available establishments were supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations.
The country had a strict regime for about 1.5 months, until the last patient got well. Various sectors of the economy gradually began to open up in May, and over the next two months we did not have a single new case.
Since July 1, the authorities decided to open the borders and the airport, dividing all countries into three categories, depending on the epidemiological situation. Northern Cyprus lived like that until December, when it was decided to combine all categories and introduce a mandatory paid ten-day quarantine in hotels for all visitors.
At the moment, the decision remains in force. Vaccination is being gradually introduced in the country primarily for pensioners, health workers and service sector employees. So far, it is going slowly, as there is not enough vaccines. People they are constantly waiting for new supplies from Turkey.
Initially, the authorities planned to let vaccinated foreigners into the country without passing quarantine from April, but now the deadline is postponed this until May-June. They hope that by that time about 70% of the population will be vaccinated and the country will be able to fully open up for tourists.
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Without a doubt, 2020 was an extremely difficult year for Northern Cyprus. The island was abruptly closed for entry and exit for an indefinite period a year ago. A complete lockdown was imposed, all business was suspended, and people were locked in their homes. This lasted for a couple of months, then gradually some types of businesses started to get back to life.
Naturally, such areas as tourism, real estate and construction were affected the most. Many companies faced financial problems, some had to close completely.
Many visitors left the island due to lack of work, students did not arrive in the fall semester, studies are temporarily switched to the online mode. These is enough to have lack of people on the island, but one of the most severe restrictions was the closure of borders for foreigners. Subsequently, the rules have changed: a quarantine upon arrival is still required to this day. Of course, this is better than completely closed borders, yet it is not helpful to the flow of tourists.
Many people would like to fly to Northern Cyprus, so they have been waiting for a year for the quarantine measures to be relaxed. Now the island is coming out of the second lockdown, business is still operating with restrictions, and it is still impossible to travel freely. But we all hope for a fast return to a stable life.
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The pandemic has affected our lives the same way it did in other countries. For a while, everything was closed down. Now cafes and restaurants are open, but only for takeaways.
Our country lives at the expense of tourism, so the most negative moment was the lack of tourists last summer. Local residents were very worried about staying without income. The state have tried to compensate it partially: companies are now given one-time financial assistance, but it isn’t an impressive amount. In addition, the authorities distribute food rations to families with very low incomes through municipalities.
People are sympathetic to what is happening. The age of the population in Northern Cyprus is high, there are many elderly people who were very afraid of getting infected, so the introduction of restrictions has been accepted calmly.
Currently, everyone who arrives is required to undergo quarantine at the hotel, an exception can only be made for health reasons. For example, if a person has recently had an operation, they can apply to the Ministry of Health and get permission to quarantine at home. Everyone else is required to spend ten days in one of the hotels, and you cannot choose it. You will have to pay about 3,050 liras for accommodation, which is about $400.
People fly to Northern Cyprus via Istanbul. Now flights depart the same way, three or four times a day. At the same time, the planes are full, despite the restrictions. So, it is possible to get to the country, but you need to be ready to spend ten days in quarantine.
Since mid-April, the possibility of allowing entry to the country to those who have a vaccination passport is being considered, and the option of home quarantine is being offered for citizens and holders of a residence permit in Northern Cyprus. However, the law has not yet been adopted. We assume that the country is preparing for the tourist season, so that hotels that are currently working for quarantine can be opened to tourists.
Katerina Gannenko: "The real estate sector has moved online. Since many of our clients cannot afford to fly on a tour due to mandatory quarantine, we use many different methods to virtually transfer the client to the island.
We prepare individual video materials and presentations, conduct online tours of the properties. Also, we provide our clients with an insurance policy and guarantees of receiving their real estate within the terms specified in the contract for remote transactions.
We have learned to appreciate being with our families and spend more time on the phone, because a significant part of our work is now there".
Svetlana Timashova: "We work like this: customers choose objects, we come to the place, shoot a video, and then send it to the clients for a view. Then they send a deposit and freeze this property for two or three months, while the transaction is processed.
The legal procedure for remote purchase is relatively simple. Our clients issue a power of attorney prepared by a local lawyer. It is certified at the Turkish consulate in the country where the buyers are located, and then sent by mail to Cyprus. And then the lawyer performs absolutely all actions on behalf of the client. The payment is also made to the lawyer's account, then they give the check to the seller and complete the entire transaction. The scheme is quite simple and well established".
Arkady Osipyan: "Most of our company's transactions this year were conducted online. Naturally, people did not want to fly under the current conditions. They would have had to spend two weeks in quarantine for the sake of a three-day tour and a real estate purchase. Plus, everyone used to hoped that this situation would not last long.
We have begun to show real estate via videos and coordinate all the conditions remotely. We already had this experience before, so not that many things have changed. We made some adjustments to the work, to the terms of transactions, while retaining all the employees".
Property prices in Northern Cyprus have been rising over the past decades, and the pandemic has failed to reverse the trend.
Svetlana Timashova: "Prices have not fallen. Yes, some thought that they would decline, but it did not happen. In rare cases, owners sell their homes for a small price due to their personal financial situation in the country where they live. Most of them are British. Besides that, primary and secondary market prices remained the same.
We are seeing changes in other areas: the demand for homes has increased, and remote transactions have become popular. At the same time, neither the number of transactions nor the composition of buyers has changed significantly. I would only note the increase in the number of citizens of Kazakhstan, who want to move. In particular, they are looking for schools for children. I suspect this happens not due to the pandemic, but to the situation in Kazakhstan itself".
Katerina Gannenko: "In Northern Cyprus, property prices are growing by 8-12% annually. And last year, despite the pandemic, they continued to grow. The reason is high demand.
I was surprised, but 2020 was very successful for our company. We had a huge number of sales and customers from all over the world. Some decided to buy an apartment, even though they have never been to the island before.
Over the past year, many new projects have appeared, companies provided a flexible payment plan and bonuses for online buyers. There were several projects on the first coastline with super-affordable prices, starting from €43,000.
Last year, we mainly saw demand for investment properties, but there were also buyers who were looking for holiday homes for their families. Several clients waited a year until the quarantine was lifted to see everything with their own eyes and make a decision. But in the end, they realized that prices had increased over the year, and several properties they were interested in have been sold, and then they decided to jump into the last train and catch affordable prices for liquid projects".
Arkady Osipyan: "The real estate market has suffered, just like many other areas. Sales fell two or three times, but this did not affect prices in any way. Properties are not so overpriced in Northern Cyprus for developers to starte the undercut. It is easier for them to wait for the situation to normalize. But at the same time, they have become more willing to offer even more flexible payment plans and long-term interest-free installments.
In the secondary market you can often find favorable offers below the market price. Many foreigners decided to sell their real estate, as they were forced to return to their homeland. Someone urgently needed money to solve their problems or save their business.
Since the transactions were made remotely, we met our customers halfway and guaranteed them a refund of deposits, if they were not satisfied with a chosen property. We do not limit their terms, but in the booking form we indicate that the deposit is an exchange, meanin we can transfer it to another object. We came up with this a year ago, when all the restrictions just started. Nobody could imagine it would take so long, maybe, a maximum of three months. However, such conditions are still preserved, since none of the competitors offer anything like this, and this is our advantage over them. Yes, it is not easy for us, but we are looking for an individual approach. The main thing is that our buyers do not risk anything, and now they have the opportunity to book their favorite object on more favorable terms than it will be after the lockdown is lifted".
