Cyprus Turns Towards Sustainable Tourism

As Russian and Ukrainian tourists are fewer and fewer, Cyprus decided to switch towards sustainable tourism.

Many countries have been affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including Cyprus.
It has lost 22 percent of its tourists who came from Russian and Ukrainian markets. The Cypriot government has made it clear that they are working to create a sustainable tourism infrastructure to attract tourists from other nations.

According to SchengenVisaInfo.com, the number of tourists from Russia and Ukraine has declined to zero, and the losses have been estimated at EUR655 millions.

This label is for villages with high sustainability levels, natural beauty, and other resources. Some of the most well-known villages include Vouni, Laneia and Arsos. All of these villages have seen an increase in arrivals in recent years. This strategy of shifting tourism to villages can prove risky, since Cyprus is known for its beautiful beaches and hot weather.

Tourists from the United Kingdom are the most frequent visitors to the country. They are followed by Italy, Hungary, Austria and Switzerland. In 2022, the industry nearly recovered fully from the COVID-19 pandemic. It received 3.2 million tourists, or 90 percent of its 2019 levels. This is 700,000. Compared to 2019, when the country received a total of 3.9 million visitors, this was a new record.

The average stay in Cyprus increased to ten consecutive days. This is one day more than the visitors spent in 2019.

Overall, Cyprus enjoyed a successful year for tourism in 2022. The arrivals were 60% higher than 2021 with 149,857 people arriving. This is 0.6% more than the total of 2021 when the country received 148,973 visitors.

In 2022, the United Kingdom was the main country of origin for tourists. It had 38,265 tourists. This represented 25.5 percent of all arrivals. Next came Israel (17,380 tourists), Greece (15.190), Germany (15.065), and Poland (13.759).

Tourism in Cyprus could also see an additional boost, rather than tourists visiting the country's natural beauty. Paphos, a Cypriot capital, has been designated the EU Smart Tourism Capital 2023.

"The two European Capitals of Smart Tourism will receive promotional support, as well as a purpose-built sculpture for their city centres, which will be displayed prominently for the duration of their year as a European Capital of Smart Tourism," EU Destination of Excellence statement mentions.

These destinations, along with Kranj, the Slovenian EU capital, will be supported throughout the year to help develop sustainable tourism practices.

 

Source: schengenvisainfo.com