Cyprus tourism records best year since 2001

Thursday, 3 March 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Bailed-out Cyprus recorded a 4.4 % hike in key tourism revenue in 2015, the sector’s best earnings since 2001, and official data showed Monday.

Total tourism income on the Mediterranean holiday island reached 2.11 billion euros ($2.29 billion) last year from 2.02 billion euros in 2014.

The increase was fuelled by a decade-high surge of 2.1 million tourist arrivals in 2015 -- a jump of 8.9 % on the previous year.

Revenues for the month of December alone increased 20.4 % from 43.7 million euros in 2014 to 52.6 million.

Lebanese were the biggest spenders in December at an average 136.74 euros a day, while the Swedes were the most frugal at 31.14 euros.

In 2014, Cyprus tourism generated 2.02 billion euros, a 2.8 % drop from 2013’s 2.08 billion euros. It was the first dip in receipts since 2009.

Following a 10-billion-euro international rescue package to save a crumbling economy and insolvent banks in March 2013, Cyprus returned to growth in 2015 after nearly four years of harsh recession.

The number of holidaymakers to Cyprus hit a record high of 2.69 million in 2001, spending a record 2.17 billion euros.

Income from tourism accounts for around 12 % of the EU state’s GDP and is credited for ensuring that Nicosia did not suffer a double-digit recession post-bailout as initially feared.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.