Cyprus tourism rebound uplift continues in June

Hotels to stay supplied with electricity
June saw a repeat of strong tourism arrivals in Cyprus, with the number of tourist arrivals rising by 9.3% to reach 300,817 in June 2011, compared with 275,280 in June 2010.
The Russian market continues to soar, with arrivals from Russia rising by 53.4% over the year earlier to 56,407 in June 2001, from 36,770 in June 2010.
Arrivals from Sweden were up by 0.8% to 15,375, from 15,249 last year.
Even arrivals from crisis-ridden Greece rose a healthy 3.4%, to 13,273, 12,831 to 13,273 this year.
For the first six months of the year arrivals of tourists totalled 973,768 compared with 877,958 in the corresponding period of 2010, recording an increase of 10.9%.
Tourism has risen this year largely because of unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.
Now the tourism industry fears that its first good season for years will be snuffed out as a result of the blast at the naval base near Zygi on Monday that knocked out 60% of the island’s electricity capacity.
However, the government has promised to keep the hotels supplied with electricity (many of which have their own generators in any case).
Cypriots, meanwhile, are trying being asked to be careful with their use of airconditioning, in order to keep the resorts cool and the tourists coming this summer.