Protaras tropical famous beach at Paralimni holiday destination in Republic of Cyprus

Tourism in Cyprus occupies a dominant position in the country's economy, and has significantly impacted its culture and multicultural development throughout the years. In 2006, the tourism industry made up 10.7% of the country's GDP and the total employment in the tourism industry was estimated at 113,000 jobs. With a usual minimum of around 4 million tourist arrivals per year, it is the 40th most popular destination in the world and the 6th most popular per capita of local population. Cyprus has been a full member of the

World Tourism Organization The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading internati ...

since 1975.

History

Varosha was once one of the most popular destinations in the world, frequented by Hollywood stars such as

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

, until the Cypriot coup d'état in 1974. It is now abandoned and the majority of it is guarded by armed troops.

Arrivals by country

The majority of tourist arrivals are from elsewhere in Europe. Over 80% of visitors come from

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

, and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

, with British tourists remaining the most numerous. Several factors contribute to this, including widely spoken English, as well as the history of British colonialism and the presence of British military bases at

Akrotiri and Dhekelia Akrotiri and Dhekelia, officially the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBA),, ''Periochés Kyríarchon Váseon Akrotiríou ke Dekélias''; tr, Ağrotur ve Dikelya İngiliz Egemen Üs Bölgeleri is a British Overseas Territory o ...

. The downturn in the British economy in the late 2000s was reflected by a drop in tourist arrivals, highlighting the over-reliance of Cyprus' tourist industry on one market. In 2009, efforts were underway to boost arrivals from other countries. In line with contemporary geopolitical developments, Russian tourists became the second largest group in terms of arrivals; this began in the late 2000s and has been rapidly increasing ever since. The total number of tourists in Cyprus for the 2018 season was 3.93 million. Most visitors arriving on a short-term basis were from the following countries:

Competitiveness

According to the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

's 2013

Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report The ''Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report'' was first published in 2007 by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The 2007 report covered 124 major and emerging economies. The 2008 report covered 130 countries, the 2009 report expanded to 133 count ...

, Cyprus' tourism industry ranks 29th in the world in terms of overall competitiveness. In terms of Tourism Infrastructure, in relation to the tourism industry Cyprus ranks 1st in the world. With some of the most popular and cleanest beaches in Europe, much of the tourist industry relies on "sea sun and sand" to attract tourists. This reflects in the seasonal distribution of tourist arrivals with a disproportionate number arriving during the summer months. Whereas most eastern resorts like

Protaras Protaras (Greek: ''Πρωταράς'') is a predominantly tourist resort which comes under the administrative jurisdiction of Paralimni Municipality in Cyprus. In ancient times, where Protaras is now located, stood the old city-state of Leukolla. ...

and

Ayia Napa Ayia Napa ( el, Άγια Νάπα tr, Aya Napa, ), officially romanised Agia Napa, is a tourist resort at the far eastern end of the southern coast of Cyprus. Etymology The name Ayia Napa is derived from a Venetian-era monastery of the same ...

attracts the most of the island tourists during March to November, the west of the island remains open to tourism with the promotion of Cypriot history culture and specialized sports such as golf and climbing has a wider distribution.

Investment

The

World Travel and Tourism Council The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is a forum for the travel and tourism industry. It is made up of members from the global business community and works with governments to raise awareness about the travel and tourism industry. It is know ...

2016 report on the island outlines that the total investment in the Travel & Tourism industry in 2015 was EUR273.7mn, or 14.0% of the total investments. It projects a rise by 5.3% in 2016 and 2.9% pa over the next ten years to EUR384.6mn in 2026.

Blue Flags

According to the latest

KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...

report, Cyprus has the most dense concentration of

Blue Flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a not-for-profit non-gov ...

es of which the most at the eastern part, the most Blue Flag beaches per

coastline The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

and the most Blue Flags per capita in the world.

Language & service

English is the universal language since the island has an international outlook. Russian is also spoken within the tourist industry. Greek and Turkish remain the main languages spoken by the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities respectively.

Personnel & education

In 2012,

Eurostat Eurostat ('European Statistical Office'; DG ESTAT) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide statis ...

reported that Cyprus is the most educated country in Europe after Ireland since 49.9% of Cyprus's residents have degrees. In 2013, only three other EU Member States invested more public funds in education than Cyprus, as measured by the share of GDP (6.5% compared to a 5.0% EU average).

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO)

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation, usually abbreviated to CTO, and known as KOT in Greek, was a semi-governmental organisation charged with overseeing the industry practices and promoting the island as a tourism destination abroad. In 2007 the CTO spent a reported €20 million on promotion. In 2019 the CTO was replaced by a government ministry, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, which took over the assets and responsibilities of the CTO.

References

External links

* {{Tourism in Asia

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

Beaches of Cyprus Economy of Cyprus