Cyprus tourist income generated more than a billion euros during the first half of the year, official data showed Friday.
According to data released by CyStat income for the six months January-June amounted to €1.03 bln compared to €996 mln for the same period in 2017, recording a 3.9% increase.
The growth of tourism revenues and the multifaceted benefits of tourism on the economy are also reflected in the significant increases in the turnover of tourist accommodation and catering centres.
The expenditure per person for June reached €699.88 compared to €734.89 in the same month of the previous year, recording a decrease of 4.8%.
Expenditure per person/per day for June also recorded a decrease of 2.7%.
A decrease of 2.2% was recorded in the average length of stay, from 9.3 days in June 2017 to 9.1 days in June 2018.
Total spending per person for January – June reached €629.04 from €680.95 last year, recording a 7.6% drop.
Expenditure per person/per day for the period of January – June 2018 compared to the period of January – June 2017 also recorded a 4.4% decrease (from €75.66 to €72.30).
According to CyStat’s data, during January-June, the accommodation and catering services index recorded an increase of 10.5%, compared to the same period of 2017.
The index for accommodation services for the first six months recorded an increase of 11.4%, while for catering services the increase stood at 9.7%.
Based on the latest available data, arrivals in licensed tourist accommodation for the period January – July amounted to 1.78 million compared to 1.62 million in 2017, recording an increase of 10.3%.
At the same time, total overnight stays in licensed accommodation in the first seven months of 2018 amounted to 9.39 million, an increase of 5.4% compared to January-July 2017.
The Cyprus Tourism Organisation said it will continue its efforts to attract high income tourists aiming to increase revenue alongside the increase in arrivals.
It stressed the need to address challenges that affect tourism such as noise pollution, bad aesthetics, illegal interventions on the facades of buildings, improper signage, profiteering, cleanliness and public order.
