Turkish Cypriots spent €17m on credit cards in the south of the island in 2009

TURKISH Cypriots spent nearly three times as much in the government controlled areas as Greek Cypriots in the north in 2009, it emerged yesterday.
The total spend on Turkish credit cards in Cyprus in 2009 was €17,350,593 in 293,232 transactions, according to the latest figures by credit card handling agency, JCC Payments Ltd. This compares with just €6,823,609 by Greek Cypriots.
According to the figures, the largest spend was in supermarkets (€3.7 million), closely followed by clothing (€3.6 million). “Other Retailers” received €2.8 million and household and DIY received €2.6 million.
The figures shed light on the spending habits of Turkish Cypriot credit card holders in the government controlled areas of Cyprus. The figures show, for example, that there were nearly three times more health transactions than hotels (1,768 compared with 607), equating to over four and a half times as much money spent (€488,145 compared with €102,911)
Entertainment, motoring and petrol transactions also feature prominently, with Turkish credit card holders spending around €500,000 in each category.
The allocation and scale of spending by Greek Cypriots in the north is in marked contrast to the Turkish credit card holders, revealing a very different range of products and services.
Over two thirds of the Greek Cypriot spend (€6,823,609) in the north and Antalya, on the southern coast of Turkey, was on entertainment (€3,734,680) and hotels (€1204693). JCC does not subdivide the categories, although it is fair to assume much of the entertainment spending is in casinos, which are illegal in the south of the island.
After gambling and hotels, motoring is the next largest category, with just over €500,000 spent, followed by “Other” retailers (€385,120) and Airlines (€347,185). The figures show that the north is becoming a popular route for Greek Cypriots flying to Turkish mainland, as there are no direct flights between the government controlled areas and Turkey.
The figures also confirm that Greek Cypriots are travelling to the north for healthcare, spending €22,332 in 2009.

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