August tourist arrivals highest ever

The Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) says tourist arrivals on the island have never been better for the month of August until this year, as new countries are filling the void created by bigger markets.

According to official figures, a record number of tourists travelled to the Republic of Cyprus in August but also during the first eight months of this year, when 2,719,622 arrivals were recorded compared to 2,517,887 during the same period last year.

This jump of 8% translates into the highest number of arrivals ever recorded during the first eight months of any year, according to a CTO press release.

The statement said “preliminary estimates showing a climb in tourism during a excellent year seem to be confirmed.”

In August alone, there was a 2.1% increase based on a research study, where 534,847 arrivals were recorded this year compared to 523,651 in the same month last year.

“This makes August 2018 arrivals the highest ever recorded in this month,” said the CTO statement.

The increases in tourist arrivals came from countries such as Sweden with a 13.1% climb in August, while Greece also went up by 9.1%.

On the downside, the United Kingdom recorded a 0.9% decrease, while Russia fell 5.2%, Israel down by 20.7% and Germany sent 9.4% fewer travelers to the island.

The increase in overall tourist arrivals is attributed to countries such as Poland with 52.9% jump, Ukraine with 47.3%, Switzerland at 29.5% and Ireland with a whopping 205%.