Follow Cyprus immigration and Cyprus economic development: While attending the recent World Travel Market in London, Cyprus Minister of Tourism Lakkotrypis told the media that he remains cautiously optimistic about the prospects for the Cypriot inbound tourism market in 2014.
Minister Lakkotrypis led a delegation to the World Travel Market with the aim of working with relevant British tourism organizations to identify problems and take measures to restore Cyprus's appeal to British tourists. Minister Lakkotrypis stated that all indications suggest that Cyprus has the ability to maintain the number of British tourists visiting the country at current levels and strives to achieve modest growth in the number of tourists in the coming years.
Data shows that between 1998 and 2009, the number of British tourists visiting Cyprus exceeded 1 million annually, reaching over 1.5 million in the best years. However, starting in 2010, this positive trend did not continue; the number of British tourists visiting Cyprus began to drop below 1 million, further falling to 950,000 in 2012. The reasons for this include, on one hand, Cyprus focusing on attracting tourists from Russia and other countries while neglecting the consolidation of the existing British tourism market, and on the other hand, competition from other tourist destinations in the Mediterranean and Caribbean regions, which captured a share of the market.
Minister Lakkotrypis indicated that in the future, Cyprus will consider extending the length of the tourist season, including starting it earlier and ending it later, to attract more visitors. In addition, Cyprus will develop themed tourism projects, tailoring specific programs for groups such as cycling enthusiasts, golf lovers, and religious pilgrims. Currently, Cyprus has identified 3-4 such themed tourism projects and will focus on developing and implementing these in the future.
Regarding the overall goals for the Cypriot tourism industry next year, Minister Lakkotrypis expressed his hope to see more tourists from Russia, Ukraine, and the Scandinavian region. He hopes that the number of Russian tourists visiting Cyprus will reach 600,000, with the goal for 2014 being a 10% increase in total tourist arrivals to Cyprus compared to 2013.