travel
Cyprus tourist arrivals hit record high in July
Nissi Beach in Cyprus. Income from tourism accounts for around 12% of Cypriot GDP. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, August 22, 2015.The number of tourists arriving in Cyprus spiked 8.5% in July to a record high for that month, led by a surge in British visitors attracted by the cheaper euro, official figures showed.
A record 414,527 people arrived in July compared with 381,955 a year earlier, according to figures released Thursday.
Arrivals eased 1.5% in June.
July's gain was due mainly to a 22.5% spike in arrivals from Britain – the island's largest market. There was also a 65% hike from Israel and one of 55.8% from Greece.
The only disappointment was a 17.6% drop in arrivals from Russia.
For the January-July period, arrivals climbed 6.5% to a record 1.45 million from 1.36 million a year earlier.
Officials expect an increase of around 5% for the whole year, after a moderate gain of 1.5% in 2014 and a dip of 2.4% the previous year.
Cyprus Tourism Organisation chief Angelos Loizou attributed the record in arrivals to the British pound's strength against the euro, the addition of more direct flights to Cyprus and closer cooperation among industry players.
Income from tourism accounts for around 12% of Cypriot GDP and is one is one of the factors that will contribute to the economy exiting recession in 2015.
Cyprus needed a €10 billion (RM47.6 billion) bailout from international lenders in 2013 to save its banking industry and stop the eurozone member going bankrupt. – AFP/Relaxnews, August 22, 2015.
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