UK TV history professor uncovers Cyprus

Popular UK TV history professor Bettany Hughes will be spotlighting in her Channel 4 series Treasures of the World the archaeological gems of Cyprus.

According to Phileleftheros daily, Bettany Hughes has recently visited Cyprus to shoot a documentary on the Mediterranean island’s history and culture.

The documentary is a beneficiary of Cyprus’ rebate incentive scheme to attract big film productions, promoting the island as a filming and tourism destination.

With her documentaries, Bettany Hughes takes viewers on armchair travels to explore household-name treasures and new finds from across the world.

Hughes enjoys international recognition, and her documentary series is one of the most viewed historical shows, with loyal fans and thousands of followers on social media.

So far, within the context of her ‘Treasures of the World’ series, Hughes has shed light on the history and culture of Greece, Malta, Istanbul and Gibraltar.

The documentary on Aphrodite’s island has already been shot. It is expected to bring multiple benefits, from shedding light on Cyprus heritage to drawing the attention of British holidaymakers this summer.

With Cyprus missing out on some 800,000 tourists expected from Russia and Ukraine due to the war and sanctions, tourism authorities are looking to boost arrivals from the UK, traditionally its largest market.

Despite the war in Ukraine and soaring prices, Cyprus tourism authorities are confident the island will see the same number of tourist arrivals as in 2021.

Last year, 1.93 million tourists visited Cyprus, a spike of 206.7% since 2020 when the island banned commercial flights from March to June to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Pre-COVID, over 53% of Cyprus’ 4 mln tourists in 2019 came from the UK (33.5%) and Russia (19.7%).

Cyprus had three successive boom years before the pandemic, with British arrivals peaking at 1.4 mln.