CYPRUS: Summer bookings up from U.K., despite fall in revenues

Summer bookings from the U.K., traditionally the biggest market for tourism to Cyprus, are expected to be about 10-15% higher, according to travel agents, with airline capacity also increased by 33,000 seats from last year.

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation said after its participation at the ‘Destinations Holiday and Travel Show’ held in London and Manchester, that “there was increased interest in summer packages”.
Tourist arrivals from the U.K. totaled 871,000 in 2014, accounting for about 36% of all holidaymakers to the island, but still short of the near-million tourists that Cyprus used to attract from Britain a decade ago.
High accommodation and food costs are often considered as the main obstacles to attracting more tourists, who prefer other Mediterranean destinations such as Greece, Spain, Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia.
This is also why tourism revenue in November increased by almost 10% year-on-year, but recorded an average decrease of 3.2% in January to November, compared to the year-earlier period.
The Statistical Service Cystat said that, based of the results of the monthly Passenger Survey, revenue from tourism reached €65 mln in November 2014 compared to €59.2 mln in the same month of the previous year, an increase of 9.9%.
For the 11-month period January-November 2014 revenue from tourism is estimated at €1.98 bln compared to €2.04 bln in the corresponding period of 2013, recording a decrease of 3.2%.