Cyprus is breaking all previous tourism records this year with arrivals passing 3.8 million visitors for the first time ever. According to the Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO), arrivals in November alone were up nearly 10 percent from a year ago to 160,000, a record for the month. Overall, arrivals are 7.8 percent up over the course of 2018 so far.
Tourism is a bit part of the overall economy of Cyprus, and especially the British isles. One notable increase was the huge jump in Irish visitors, but arrivals from Greece also increased by 14.2 percent in November 2018 compared with November 2017. Even more surprising was the 19 percent increase from Germany, and the slight decrease in Russian travelers to the island.
Greek Reporter news heralded the CTO announcement, that the majority of tourists who visited Cyprus between June and September of 2018 saying that they were “satisfied to a great extent” with their stay, according to a survey commissioned by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO).
In other news, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) is to be dissolved in its current form after 50 years in existence. Chairman Angelos Loizou told reporters on Monday the organization will hand over the reins to the newly established deputy ministry of tourism.
“We are as well prepared as is possible,” Loizou told the Cyprus News Agency, explaining that committees had been set up by the CTO and the ministry of tourism and various actions were being taken to ensure a smooth transition, whether it concerned legal issues, accounting matters and everything else to help make the move as efficient as possible. The decision as to the appointment of the deputy minister lies with President Nicos Anastasiades.
