Greek Cypriots spent EUR 1.3 mln in Turkey this year

Greek Cypriots spent EUR 1.3 mln in Turkey excluding Attaleia (Antalya) in January-July, according to data from the credit card company JCC.
Turkey is becoming a popular tourist destination with Greek Cypriots. Official data show that 1,319 returned from a trip to Turkey in 2007.
However, although around half of all Greek Cypriots have never crossed to the northern part of Cyprus – for various reasons including unwillingness to show national identity cards or passports to the Turkish Cypriot authorities that are not recognized internationally – the data show Greek Cypriots spend more on average in the north than they do in Turkey.
In the first seven months of the year JCC reported that EUR 3.8 mln was spent in the “Occupied Areas and Attaleia”, with only a tiny proportion of that likely to have been spent in Attaleia (Antalya).
Most spending by Greek Cypriots in the north was on entertainment (EUR 2.3 mln), reflecting the popularity of the casinos, which are banned in the south, while EUR 712,862 was spent on hotels.

Turkish Cypriot spending in the south
Meanwhile Turkish Cypriots continue to spend more in the south than the Greek Cypriots spend in the north.
JCC recorded EUR 9.4 mln spent in the south using credit and debit cards of Turkish banks in the first seven months of the year.
In July alone, they spent EUR 1.3 mln, compared with EUR 1.5 mln in June.
The most popular item in the first seven months of the year continued to be supermarkets (reaching EUR 2 mln), followed by clothing (EUR 1.9 mln) and DIY (EUR 1.5 mln).