Cyprus records best ever August for tourism arrivals

Mediterranean holiday island Cyprus recorded its highest ever number for August tourism arrivals this year when the figure jumped nearly 17 percent to reach more than 458,000 visitors during peak season, official data showed on Monday.

“August 2016 had the highest volume of tourist arrivals ever recorded in Cyprus during the specific month,” the Finance Ministry said.

In a clear indication that the economy is on an upward curve, August 2016 marked a 16.9 percent increase in tourism arrivals compared to the same month last year.

Only July saw more tourists for a single month, recording a record 482,000 arrivals.

Tourists from Britain – the island’s top holiday market – increased 9.9 percent in August to 172,236, while those from the second largest market Russia were up 36.8 percent to 122,843.

There was also a 61 percent increase in holidaymakers from Israel, with 27,048 arrivals.

For the first six months until June, revenue from tourism increased 13.7 percent to 831.2 million euros, up from 730.9 million in the same period of 2015.

[AFP]