Arrivals up in June

THERE was a marked increase in the number of people visiting Cyprus in June, the Department of Statistics and Research reported yesterday.

Arrivals reached 302,931 in June, recording an increase of 14.5 per cent on June 1997.

Departures were up 16.1 per cent on last year, reaching 297,354.

Most arrivals were from European countries with the United Kingdom leading with 37.9 per cent. Greece and Israel were next on 8.4 per cent each, followed by Russia with 8.1 per cent, Sweden with 5.8 per cent, Germany with 5.3 per cent and Switzerland with 3.7 per cent.

The total number of tourist arrivals in June was 248,426. The United Kingdom was again dominant in the tourist sector with 45.7 per cent, trailed by Russia with 10.8 per cent, Sweden 7 per cent, Germany 6.8 per cent, Switzerland 3.7 per cent, Norway 2.6 per cent, and Denmark and Greece on 2.5 per cent.

Males accounted for 44.5 per cent of the tourists, and the mean age of visitors was 37.6 years. The vast majority of visitors, 92.3 per cent, said they would be staying in hotels or similar establishments, while 5.4 per cent stayed with relatives and friends, and the remainder stated they would be staying “elsewhere”.

The average intended duration of stay was 13 nights.

The number of Cypriots travelling abroad was also up: 40,138 Cyprus residents returned from overseas in June, compared to 31,442 in May. Most — 32 per cent — had visited Greece. The UK was the next most popular destination chosen by 17.5 per cent of Cypriots travelling abroad, followed by Israel, Russia and Lebanon.

Almost half stated that their main reason for travelling was to go on holiday, with 27.7 per cent taking business trips and the remaining 18.5 per cent going for educational purposes.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.