Information and communication services was the only sector which registered gains in the first quarter of 2021, while accommodation and food services continued to register significant losses as it was the sector bearing the brunt of the Covid pandemic.

According to data released by the Cyprus Statistical Service on Tuesday for the turnover value index in Services for the first quarter of 2021, the sector of information and communication registered annual growth of 4.9%, while accommodation and food service activities declined by 41.2%, administrative and support service activities by 11.3% and professional, scientific and technical activities declined by 5.3%.

By economic activity, accommodation registered a steep decline of 84.6% in first quarter of 2021, food and beverage activities declined by 31.7%, reflecting the impact of travel restrictions and measures to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, travel agency, tour operator reservation services and related activities fell by an annual 59.6% in the first quarter of 2021.
 
Furthermore, legal and accounting services declined by 4.1% in the first quarter of 2021, architectural and engineering activities fell by 2.2% while other professional, scientific and technical activities declined by 33.2%, Cystat added.
 
On the contrary, activities associated with information and communication continued to record annual gains in the first quarter boosted by social distancing measures.
 
Information activities in the first quarter of 2021 rose by an annual 59.8%, computer programming activities rose by 5.9%, telecommunications rose by 4%, while Architectural and engineering activities marked a steep drop of 47.3%.