Tourism in Cyprus

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Petra tou Romiou ("Rock of the Greek") where legend says that Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, emerged from the sea Petra tou romiou beach.jpg
Petra tou Romiou ("Rock of the Greek") where legend says that Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, emerged from the sea
Avakas Gorge in Akamas Avakas Gorge (Cyprus).jpg
Avakas Gorge in Akamas
Protaras beach in summer Protaras tropical famous beach at Paralimni holiday destination in Republic of Cyprus.jpg
Protaras beach in summer
The sandy beaches are often used as habitats for green turtles Golden beach at sunset.jpg
The sandy beaches are often used as habitats for green turtles

Tourism in Cyprus occupies a dominant position in the country's economy, [1] [2] and has significantly impacted its culture and multicultural development throughout the years. [3] [4] In 2006, the tourism industry made up 10.7% of the country's GDP and the total employment in the tourism industry was estimated at 113,000 jobs. [5] With a usual minimum of around 4 million tourist arrivals per year, [6] it is the 40th most popular destination in the world [7] [8] and the 6th most popular per capita of local population. [9] Cyprus has been a full member of the World Tourism Organization since 1975. [10]

Contents

History

Varosha was once one of the most popular destinations in the world, frequented by Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Monroe, until the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 1974. It is now abandoned and the majority of it is guarded by armed troops. [11]

Arrivals by country

The Rock of the Greek (background) with the Saracen Rock in the foreground 2rocks.jpg
The Rock of the Greek (background) with the Saracen Rock in the foreground
Ayia Thekla beach 02 Cyprus vacation, sandy beach of Ayia Thekla, Sotira, Cyprus.jpg
Ayia Thekla beach

The majority of tourist arrivals are from elsewhere in Europe. Over 80% of visitors come from Northern, Western, and Eastern Europe, with British tourists remaining the most numerous. Several factors contribute to this, including widely spoken English, as well as the history of British colonialism and the presence of British military bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The downturn in the British economy in the late 2000s was reflected by a drop in tourist arrivals, highlighting the over-reliance of Cyprus' tourist industry on one market.

By 2009, efforts were underway to boost arrivals from countries other than the UK. [12] In line with geopolitical developments, Russian tourists became the second largest group in terms of arrivals; this began in the late 2000s and rapidly increased until the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. [13] [14] [15]

The total number of tourists in Cyprus for the 2018 season was 3.93 million. [16] Most visitors arriving on a short-term basis were from the following countries:

RankCountry201620172018
1Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 1,157,978Increase2.svg 1,253,839Increase2.svg 1,327,805
2Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 781,634Increase2.svg 824,494Decrease2.svg 783,631
3Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 148,739Increase2.svg 261,966Decrease2.svg 232,561
4Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 124,030Increase2.svg 188,826Increase2.svg 189,200
5Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 160,254Increase2.svg 169,712Increase2.svg 186,370
6Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 115,019Increase2.svg 136,725Increase2.svg 153,769
7Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 42,683Increase2.svg 56,665Increase2.svg 89,508
8Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
(including Flag of Liechtenstein.svg  Liechtenstein )		46,602Increase2.svg 57,540Increase2.svg 74,216
9Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 62,292Decrease2.svg 48,190Increase2.svg 69,619
10Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 28,741Increase2.svg 49,304Increase2.svg 66,969

Competitiveness

Studies

In 2011, according to the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, Cyprus' tourism industry was 29th in the world in terms of overall competitiveness but managed to secure first place for tourism infrastructure. [17] With some of the most popular and cleanest beaches in Europe, [18] [19] much of the island relies on the "sun, sea, and sand" mantra to attract tourists. [20] This is reflected in the seasonal distribution of tourist arrivals, with a massive increase during the summer months. [21] Resorts in the island's east and southeast, such as Ayia Napa and Protaras, rely almost solely on tourism and attract the overwhelming majority of their tourists from March to November; tourist destinations in the west and southwest, such as Limassol and Paphos, are supported by other industries and thus remain open to tourism even during the much colder winter months.[ citation needed ]

Investment

A report by the World Travel and Tourism Council revealed that the total investment in Cyprus' tourism industry throughout 2015 was €‎273.7 million, representing 14% of overall investment in the island. It projected a 5.3% rise in 2016 and a subsequent 2.9% rise each year over the next decade to €384.6 million in 2026. [22]

Blue Flag beaches

According to a 2020 report by KPMG, Cyprus has the densest concentration of Blue Flag beaches (most of which are in the east) in the world, the most Blue Flag beaches per coastline in the world, and the most Blue Flags per capita in the world. [23]

Languages

English is the island's primary bridge language, partially due to it being under British control until 1960 but primarily because it relies heavily on tourism, with British tourists by far comprising the biggest group of yearly visitors. [24] Russian was also widely spoken in the tourist industry until the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine caused a drastic decrease in the number of Russian tourists, who had previously been the island's second largest group of yearly visitors. [25] Greek and Turkish remain the main languages spoken by the native Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities. [26]

Education

A 2012 Eurostat report revealed that Cyprus is the second most educated country in Europe after Ireland, with 49.9% of its residents holding university degrees. [27] In 2013, Cyprus came in fourth place on the list of EU countries that had invested the most public funds in education, as measured by the share of GDP (6.5% compared to a 5.0% EU average). [28]

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO)

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation, usually abbreviated to CTO, and known as KOT in Greek, was a semi-governmental organisation charged with overseeing the industry practices and promoting the island as a tourism destination abroad. In 2007 the CTO spent a reported €20 million on promotion. [29] In 2019 the CTO was replaced by a government ministry, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, which took over the assets and responsibilities of the CTO. [30]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Cyprus Travel & Tourism - Climbing to new heights". Accenture . World Travel and Tourism Council. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 12, 2012. Retrieved 2007-03-02.
  2. ↑ "Cyprus Profile: Cruising to Growth". www.cyprusprofile.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  3. ↑ Ayres, Ron (2000-01-01). "Tourism as a passport to development in small states: reflections on Cyprus". International Journal of Social Economics. 27 (2): 114–133. doi:10.1108/03068290010308992. ISSN   0306-8293.
  4. ↑ "Opening the vault of tourism in Cyprus" (PDF). PWC Cyprus Team. July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Cyprus – Tourism – Asppen Overseas" . Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  6. ↑ "Historic number of tourist arrivals in 2018 with 3.93m visitors". 2019-01-17.
  7. ↑ "Moody's: Cypriot banks benefit from strong tourism in 2016". www.cna.org.cy. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  8. ↑ Christou, Jean. "CTO eyes nearly three million tourists in 2016 | Cyprus Mail". Cyprus mail. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  9. ↑ "Economy Statistics - Tourist arrivals (per capita) (most recent) by country". Nationmaster. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
  10. ↑ "UNWTO member states". World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Archived from the original on 2006-06-20. Retrieved 2007-03-02.
  11. ↑ shalw (2020-07-31). "The abandoned town in Cyprus where celebrities used to frolic". Sound Health and Lasting Wealth. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  12. ↑ "Cyprus taps new markets amid decline in tourist arrivals". Xinhua. March 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
  13. ↑ "SigmaLive: Russian tourism: Cyprus and Greece in top choices". www.sigmalive.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  14. ↑ "Russian Tourism: Increase in Demand for Holidays in Cyprus and Greece". www.goldnews.com.cy. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  15. ↑ "Why do Russians choose Cyprus? | Cyprus Inorm | Cyprus inform". www.kiprinform.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  16. ↑ "Statistical Service - Services - Tourism - Key Figures". www.mof.gov.cy. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  17. ↑ "Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index". World Economic Forum . 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  18. ↑ "Revealed: Europe's best beach getaways". The Independent. London. 2011-04-05.
  19. ↑ "EU bathing water continues to improve, says report". BBC News. 2013-05-21.
  20. ↑ Habegger, Larry (2007-06-10). "World Watch - European Clean Beaches". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
  21. ↑ "Cyprus Tourism GP Citizenship". www.gp-citizenship.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  22. ↑ "World Travel and Tourism Council: Travel & Tourism - Economic Impact 2016 Cyprus. Documents download module". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  23. ↑ "Insights - KPMG Cyprus". KPMG. 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  24. ↑ "Cyprus: Important Phrases - Tripadvisor". www.tripadvisor.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  25. ↑ "The Cypriot language | Cyprus Inorm | Cyprus inform". www.kiprinform.com. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  26. ↑ Hadjioannou, Xenia; Tsiplakou, Stavroula; Kappler, with a contribution by Matthias (2011-11-01). "Language policy and language planning in Cyprus". Current Issues in Language Planning. 12 (4): 503–569. doi:10.1080/14664208.2011.629113. hdl: 10278/29371 . ISSN   1466-4208. S2CID   143966308.
  27. ↑ "Ireland the most educated country in EU, says Eurostat". University World News. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  28. ↑ "Education and Training". Education and Training - European Commission. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  29. ↑ "Cyprus to spend a mere EUR 20 mln to promote tourism in 2008". Financial Mirror . 2007-08-17. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  30. ↑ "how many tourists visited cyprus in 2019". www.calcautomacao.com.br. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
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