Tourism in Cyprus

Tourism in Cyprus is a cornerstone of the country's economy, and has significantly impacted its culture and multicultural development throughout the years. In 2006, the tourism industry made up 10.7% of the country's GDP and the total employment in the tourism industry was estimated at 113,000 jobs. Cyprus welcomes at least around 4 million tourists on average each year,making it the 40th most popular destination in the world and the 6th most popular per capita of local population. Cyprus has been a full member of the World Tourism Organization since 1975.

History Varosha was once one of the most popular destinations in the world, once frequented by Hollywood stars, such as Elizabeth Taylor, until the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 1974. It is now abandoned and the majority of it is guarded by armed troops.

Tourism Statistics

+Yearly tourist arrivals in millions

+ Tourist Arrivals to Cyprus (1976–2024) Year Tourist Arrivals 1976 172,092 1980 348,530 1981 423,553 1982 530,600 1983 599,796 1984 665,882 1985 769,727 1986 827,937 1987 948,551 1988 1,111,818 1989 1,377,636 1990 1,561,479 1991 1,385,129 1992 1,991,000 1993 1,841,000 1994 2,069,000 1995 2,100,000 1996 1,950,000 1997 2,088,000 1998 2,222,706 1999 2,434,285 2000 2,686,205 2001 2,696,732 2002 2,418,238 2003 2,303,247 2004 2,349,012 2005 2,470,063 2006 2,400,924 2007 2,416,081 2008 2,403,750 2009 2,141,193 2010 2,172,998 2011 2,392,228 2012 2,464,908 2013 2,405,390 2014 2,441,239 2015 2,659,405 2016 3,186,531 2017 3,652,073 2018 3,938,625 2019 3,976,777 2020 631,609 2021 1,936,931 2022 3,201,080 2023 3,845,652 2024 4,040,200

Arrivals by country

Cyprus's popularity, with around 4 million tourists arrivals per year, is attributed to a number of factors. These include the fact that English is widely spoken, its history of British colonialism, and the presence of British military bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The downturn in the British economy in the late 2000s was reflected in a decrease in British tourist arrivals, highlighting the Cyprus tourist industry's over-reliance on a single market.

By 2009, efforts were underway to stimulate tourism from countries other than the UK. In line with geopolitical developments, Russian tourists became the second largest group in terms of arrivals; this began in the late 2000s and rapidly increased until the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The total number of tourists in Cyprus for the 2018 season was 3.93 million. Most visitors arriving on a short-term basis were from the following countries:

Rank Country 2016 2017 20181 1,157,978 1,253,839 1,327,8052 781,634 824,494 783,6313 148,739 261,966 232,5614 124,030 188,826 189,2005 160,254 169,712 186,3706 115,019 136,725 153,7697 42,683 56,665 89,5088(including ) 46,602 57,540 74,2169 62,292 48,190 69,61910 28,741 49,304 66,969

Rank Country 20241 1,373,6342 425,6063 337,1394 228,3555 183,8166 148,9957 95,3148 92,8189 75,26110(including ) 73,946

Competitiveness Studies In 2011, according to the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, Cyprus' tourism industry ranked 29th in the world, in terms of overall competitiveness, but secured first place for tourism infrastructure. With some of the most popular and cleanest beaches in Europe, much of the island relies on the "sun, sea, and sand" mantra to attract tourists. This is reflected in the seasonal distribution of tourist arrivals, with a particularly significant increase during the summer months. Resorts in the island's east and southeast, such as Ayia Napa and Protaras, depend almost entirely on tourism and receive the vast majority of their visitors from March to November; tourist destinations in the west and southwest, such as Limassol and Paphos, benefit from more diversified economies, allowing them to sustain tourism even during the much colder winter months.

Investment A World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), noted that total investment in Cyprus' tourism industry in 2015 was €273.7 million - 14% of the island's overall investment - with projected increases of 5.3% in 2016 and 2.9% annually, over the following decade, reaching €384.6 million in 2026. However, the WTTC’s latest 2023 Economic Impact Research for Cyprus reports that capital investment in travel and tourism reached approximately €3.20 billion in 2022 (about 12.6 % of total investment), with forecasts extending through 2033.

Blue Flag beaches According to a 2020 report by KPMG, Cyprus boasts the highest concentration of Blue Flag beaches in the world - most of which are located in the east - ranking first globally in Blue Flag beaches per kilometre of coastline and per capita.

Languages English serves as the island's primary bridge language, not only due to Cyprus's history as a British colony until 1960 but also because of its strong reliance on tourism, with British visitors consistently making up the largest share of annual arrivals. Russian was also widely used in the tourist sector until the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine led to a sharp decline in Russian tourist, then the island's second largest group of yearly visitors. Greek and Turkish remain the main languages spoken by the native Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities.

Education A 2012 Eurostat report revealed that Cyprus is the second most educated country in Europe after Ireland, with 49.9% of its residents holding university degrees. In 2013, Cyprus ranked fourth among EU countries in public spending on education, allocating 6.5% of its GDP, well above the EU average of 5%.

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO), known as KOT in Greek, functioned as a semi-governmental authority, tasked with overseeing tourism standards and marketing the island internationally. In 2007, the CTO reportedly spent €20 million on international promotional efforts. In 2019, the CTO was replaced by the newly established Deputy Ministry of Tourism, a government body that inherited the CTO's assets and functions.

Tourism in Cyprus

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