AN INCREASE in arrivals from the UK has put a smile back on the face of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO), after recent years saw the island’s main source of tourism steadily – and worryingly – diminish.
According to the CTO’s deputy chairman Lefkos Fylaktides, the steady reduction in British tourists that has been noted over the past few years has ended for the time being. In fact, he said increased arrivals from the UK – as well as Russia and Central Europe – had led to an 11 per cent increase in arrivals over the first five months of this year compared to 2010.
“The tourist flow from the United Kingdom, which continues to be our most important tourist market by far, remains somewhat stale and problematic,” he admitted. “We closed 2010 with quite a painful reduction in arrivals.”
But he added, “This image has been reversed. Of course, we don’t have dramatic increases, but at least there is an end to the diminishing course and we expect to end the year with positive signs from the British market.”
Arrivals from Russia and the central European region are doing very well, said Fylaktides. “This is possibly one of the main reasons why we have registered increased income for the first five months of the year, compared to the corresponding increase in arrivals,” he added. “The composition of the tourist flow is changing; we have a much larger share of markets such as Russia, where the per capita spending abilities are clearly higher.”
Fylaktides said Cyprus had inevitably benefited from the political instability of neighbouring countries, such as Egypt, but not to that much of an extent.
“Yes, there were benefits for tourism, but Cyprus as a destination is different to North Africa and Egypt, and attracts tourist flow from different parts of the market,” he explained.
Fylaktides said as a whole, Cyprus offered a good quality of tourism. He did admit, however, there were some “open wounds” that led to complaints from visitors, such as the intense noise pollution in resorts such as Agia Napa and Protaras.
“A tourist destination should above all offer peace and quiet; and of course all the necessary amenities,” he said. “Noise pollution and even the harassment of tourists in certain areas, definitely does not comply with the image we are trying to build for Cyprus, as a qualitative, European, Mediterranean destination.”
This is a problem that has been preoccupying the local authorities and police, said Fylaktides, leading to them taking action.
“The course of time will show if these problems have improved compared to previous years,” he said.
Regarding Paphos, Fylaktides said reservations were on the up, according to recent figures. “Tourist flow is improved compared to last year, maybe not as positive as in our eastern resorts, but we have ahead of us a summer season with much more positive forecasts.”
As for Cypriot tourists, Fylaktides said Greece and the Greek islands were the favourite choice of destination, “for many and varied reasons”.
