According to CYSTAT data released on Friday, tourist arrivals in August 2006 recorded a drop of 6.5% to 314,872 against 336,587 in the corresponding month of 2005.
This drop is linked to the British arrivals, which fell 5.3% to 188,993 against 199,578 in August 2005. “The drop shows clearly the influence that the United Kingdom has on the island’s tourism. We must take all the necessary structural measures to reverse the situation, including the strengthening of the campaigns in the UK and the support of the tour operators”, PASYXE General Manager, Zacharias Ioannides told StockWatch. On the other hand, CTO spokesman, Antigoni Louca said that the decline was more or less anticipated after the crisis in Lebanon, which affected the psychology of many travelers.
German – Greek arrivals
Same figures showed that the tourist arrivals from German and Greece declined by 7.3% and 7.1% respectively.
On the other hand, arrivals from Russia and Ireland soared 10.6% and 12.5% respectively.
In January-August 2006, tourist arrivals dropped by 2.4% to 1,654,641 compared to 1,694,477 in the corresponding period of 2005. According to Mr. Ioannides, the discouraging results in the first eight months of 2006 show that for the fifth consecutive year Cyprus is in a tough tourist period. “This stresses the need for the hastening of the infrastructure projects that will improve the quality of our tourist product. It is also necessary to give incentives for the withdrawal of the old hotel units and the improvement of those that will remain in the industry. This is what our competitors (Greece, Turkey, Egypt) do and enjoy an increase in tourist arrivals and revenues”, he noted.
Similarly, Mrs. Louca admitted that 2006 is a difficult year for the island’s tourism. “With the enforcement of the Strategic Plan we are optimistic that we will achieve better results”, she concluded.
This drop is linked to the British arrivals, which fell 5.3% to 188,993 against 199,578 in August 2005. “The drop shows clearly the influence that the United Kingdom has on the island’s tourism. We must take all the necessary structural measures to reverse the situation, including the strengthening of the campaigns in the UK and the support of the tour operators”, PASYXE General Manager, Zacharias Ioannides told StockWatch. On the other hand, CTO spokesman, Antigoni Louca said that the decline was more or less anticipated after the crisis in Lebanon, which affected the psychology of many travelers.
German – Greek arrivals
Same figures showed that the tourist arrivals from German and Greece declined by 7.3% and 7.1% respectively.
On the other hand, arrivals from Russia and Ireland soared 10.6% and 12.5% respectively.
In January-August 2006, tourist arrivals dropped by 2.4% to 1,654,641 compared to 1,694,477 in the corresponding period of 2005. According to Mr. Ioannides, the discouraging results in the first eight months of 2006 show that for the fifth consecutive year Cyprus is in a tough tourist period. “This stresses the need for the hastening of the infrastructure projects that will improve the quality of our tourist product. It is also necessary to give incentives for the withdrawal of the old hotel units and the improvement of those that will remain in the industry. This is what our competitors (Greece, Turkey, Egypt) do and enjoy an increase in tourist arrivals and revenues”, he noted.
Similarly, Mrs. Louca admitted that 2006 is a difficult year for the island’s tourism. “With the enforcement of the Strategic Plan we are optimistic that we will achieve better results”, she concluded.
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