Sawt Falasteen - Cyprus tourist arrivals rebound to half pre-Covid level

Tourism normally makes up around 15 percent of the Cypriot economy, and a record 3.97 million travellers visited in 2019. Lockdown measures against the coronavirus, including an initial ban on commercial flights, led to arrivals falling 84 percent in 2020.

Last year, 1.93 million tourists visited the divided island known for its mild climate, beaches and ancient ruins, figures from the Statistical Service of Cyprus showed.

In December, tourist arrivals reached almost 97,000, compared with about one-tenth of that figure in December 2020 and approaching the more than 110,000 who visited in the same month of 2019.

According to the Statistical Service, Britons were the number one visitors in December, accounting for about 20 percent, followed by Greeks at around 13 percent, and Russians who made up 9.5 percent.

The pandemic ended four successive record years of tourist arrivals that helped Cyprus emerge from a financial crisis in 2013. A mixture of national lockdowns, quarantine and travel restrictions slashed tourism earnings which reached 2.68 billion euros (currently $3.0 billion) in 2019.

Tourism income plunged in 2020 to its lowest point since 1999.

The European Union member has recorded 736 Covid-19 deaths and is currently seeing around 3,000 new cases per day.

I.Saadi--SF-PST