Filenews 20 August 2024 - by Angelos Angelodimou
The tourism industry is resilient, as despite the extremely difficult and volatile international environment, the numbers are increasing. This is particularly encouraging by market professionals, who estimate that despite the difficulties, the year will end at about the same levels as last year.
More specifically, according to the data of the Statistical Service, during the seven months of 2024, tourist arrivals amounted to 2,203,704 compared to 2,137,408 in the corresponding period of 2023, recording an increase of 3,1%.
In July, tourist arrivals amounted to 551.229 compared to 523.718 in July 2023, recording an increase of 5,3%, with arrivals showing a marginal increase of 0,05% compared to July 2019 (550.971), the record year of Cypriot tourism.
Vote of confidence
According to the same figures, those who continue to give a vote of confidence to Cypriot tourism are mainly the British and Israelis. In fact, the numbers for the latter could be said to be surprising.
This is because Israel may have developed into one of the largest markets for Cypriot tourism in recent years, but the war conflicts in the region had given the impression that at least for this year we would not have tourists from Israel. Instead, by July, more than 70,000 had arrived in Cyprus.
Specifically, arrivals from the United Kingdom were the main source of tourism for July 2024, accounting for 33,9% (186.751) of total arrivals, arrivals from Israel 12,9% (71.238), arrivals from Poland 6,4% (35.456), arrivals from Sweden 4,3% (23.511) and arrivals from Germany 3,8% (20.726).
Compared to July 2023, arrivals from the United Kingdom show an increase of 6,15%, while from Israel an increase of 10%.
Satisfactory year
Speaking to "F", PASYXE General Director Filokypros Roussounides spoke of a satisfactory course so far for Cypriot tourism.
Amid major challenges, war conflicts and recessionary periods of the international economy, the tourism industry appears resilient and it seems that the year will move at the same levels as last year. Something that, as he said, can only leave us satisfied, given the prevailing scene.
However, Mr. Roussounidis clarified that the number of arrivals does not fully translate into the number of nights spent in hotels. There are, as he said, significant leaks in Airbnb-type accommodation, in the occupied areas and in unlicensed residences. At the same time, there is a decrease in the time spent in hotels, which has an impact on the unit's revenues. Indicatively, Mr. Roussounidis noted that the British reduced their average period of stay from 12 days to 9-10, while tourists from other countries from 9 days now stay 6-7.
7% decrease in trips abroad for residents of Cyprus
According to the Statistical Service, trips abroad by residents of Cyprus in July 2024 amounted to 171.382 compared to 184.335 in July 2023, recording a decrease of 7,0%. The main countries from which residents of Cyprus returned in July 2024 were Greece with 40.1% (68.805), the United Kingdom with 11.1% (18.987) and Italy with 4.8% (8.191).
Asked about the issue of domestic tourism and whether the numbers confirm the impression that there are more and more people now venturing into mountainous areas, beyond the sea, PASYXE Director General Filokypros Roussounidis replied positively, noting that the rise in temperature, combined with the fact that significant investments have been made in recent years, They lead many of our fellow citizens to the mountains.
