Cyprus records highest ever April tourist arrivals

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) has revealed that April 2017 was the most successful April on record in terms of global tourist arrivals.

During that month, tourist arrivals to Cyprus reached 286,331, compared to 225,575 in April 2016 – a year-on-year increase of 26.9 per cent. This is the highest volume of tourist arrivals the island has ever recorded during the month of April.

Of these arrivals, the UK and Russia were the main source markets, with visitors from those countries making up 37.1 per cent and 16.4 per cent of total arrivals respectively. There was a year-on-year increase in visitors from the UK (16.3 per cent), Russia (21.8 per cent), Germany (156.6 per cent) and Israel (77 per cent) and a decrease in tourist arrivals from Greece (2.5 per cent).

An early Christian Basilica at Kourion, one of Cyprus’s many tourist attractions

The majority of visitors to Cyprus in April 2017 categorised the purpose of their trip as a holiday (78.9 per cent) with 14.3 per cent stating they were visiting friends and relatives and 6.6 per cent travelling for business. Slightly more women (55.3 per cent) visited Cyprus in April 2017 than men (44.7 per cent) and the majority of tourists (44 per cent) were aged between 20-44 years.

Orestis Rossides, UK director of the CTO, said: “This year, we’re seeing record numbers of tourists attracted by Cyprus’ year-round sunshine, beautiful scenery, legendary hospitality and range of activities from cycling, scuba diving, trekking and golf to world-class spas. We’re looking forward to a successful summer season to cement 2017 as a record-breaking year for Cyprus.”

Cyprus – the third largest island in the Mediterranean – attracts over two million tourists annually.

For more information, go to www.visitcyprus.com, www.facebook.com/visitcyprus.uk or www.twitter.com/visitcyprus.