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On the basis of the results of the Passengers Survey, arrivals of tourists reached 550.971 in July 2019 compared to 539.626 in July 2018, recording an increase of 2,1%. July 2019 had the highest volume of tourist arrivals ever recorded in Cyprus during the specific month.

For the period of January – July 2019 arrivals of tourists totaled 2.181.994 compared to 2.184.775 in the corresponding period of 2018, recording a decrease of 0,1% (Table 1).

Analysis of changes

Tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom increased by 5,4% in July 2019 compared to July 2018 and an increase of 42,0% was recorded for tourists from Israel. A decrease of 4,8% in tourist arrivals from Russia and 9,3% from Sweden were recorded. Percentage changes from one year to the next for the main countries of usual residence of tourists are presented in Table 1.

Main countries

The United Kingdom constitutes the main source of tourism for Cyprus for July 2019, with a proportion of 33,4% while arrivals from Russia comprise 21,0% of total arrivals, from Israel 8,5% and from Sweden 4,3% (Table 2).                                                                      

Purpose of visit

For a percentage of 87,0% of tourists, the purpose of their trip in July 2019 was holidays, for 10,4% visit to friends and relatives and for 2,6% business (Table 3). 

Methodological notes

Definitions

Tourists – Visitors who stay for at least one night in Cyprus.

Tourist arrivals – The term refers to the number of trips and not to the number of persons. This differs in the sense that one person can take more than one trip during the reference period.

Source of data and coverage

The data are obtained from the Passengers Survey which is conducted in the arrivals and departures halls in the airports of Larnaka and Pafos, as well as from administrative sources such as the monthly arrivals at ports.

The survey covers all persons who pass through passport control at the ports and airports in the Government controlled area of Cyprus. It does not include travelers who arrive and depart illegally via ports and airports in the occupied part of Cyprus.

The weighting of data is conducted based on the data sent to the Statistical Service by the Civil Aviation Department and from the ship manifests, as well as data sent by the Analysis and Statistics Office of the Cyprus Police.

For more information, visit theStatistical Service (CYSTAT) website, subtheme Tourism or contact Ms Lucy Panayidou: tel.:+35722602152, e-mail: lpanagidou@cystat.mof.gov.cy

 (EK/SCH)