Cyprus sets new record in traveller arrivals

NICOSIA: More than 1.6 million tourists visited Cyprus in a 6 months to June, a largest series ever for a initial half of a year, a island’s statistics bureau pronounced Tuesday.

Tourist arrivals in January-June rose 12.4 percent to 1.64 million from 1.46 million in a same duration final year, according to a Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat).

“This also outnumbers a sum of arrivals ever available in Cyprus during a initial 6 months of a year,” it said.

An liquid of tourists from categorical marketplace Britain and an upswing from Sweden helped Cyprus symbol another record as arrivals in Jun pennyless a 500,000 barrier, Cystat said.

“June 2018 had a top volume of traveller arrivals ever available in Cyprus during a specific month,” it said.

Arrivals reached 511,073 in June, an boost of 8.2 percent from final year’s 472,450.

The statistical dialect remarkable however a 5.1 percent dump in a series of Russian tourists, as good as a 15.1 percent diminution in arrivals from Israel and a 11.3 percent decrease from Germany.

Year-on-year traveller arrivals from series one marketplace a United Kingdom rose by 9.9 percent in Jun to 164,477 while there was a 20.2 percent boost in tourists from Sweden.

Sweden has now turn a island’s third largest traveller market, with Russia still holding second place.

Industry officials disagree that arrivals from Russia are down due to fluctuations of a ruble and a renewed recognition of Turkey — a end done some-more appealing by a diseased Turkish lira.

The tourism bang has helped Cyprus lapse to expansion following a 10-billion-euro bailout in Mar 2013 to rescue a exploding economy and ruined banks.

Income from tourism now accounts for about 15 percent of a eastern Mediterranean island’s sum domestic product and is credited with underpinning a discerning recovery.

A record 3.65 million tourists took holidays in Cyprus final year, spending an rare 2.6 billion euros. —AFP

Article source: http://aaj.tv/2018/07/cyprus-sets-new-record-in-tourist-arrivals/