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2. The main developments in the movement of travellers and tourism in 1996 compared to 1995 are: Travellers In 1996 the movement of travellers to and from Cyprus recorded a decrease compared to the previous year. Total arrivals of travellers reached 2.512.270 and departures totalled 2.509.473, each recording a decrease of 6,4% compared to 1995. Visitors Visitors arriving decreased by 7,3% to 2.088.526 persons in 1996 compared to 2.253.400 in 1995. Tourist arrivals recorded a decrease of 7,1% in 1996 over 1995 and reached 1.950.000. Europe has as usual been the traditional tourist market for Cyprus. In 1996 European countries provided the Island with more than 88% of the total tourist arrivals. The United Kingdom remained the most important source of tourism with a share of 36,9% of the total, followed by Germany with 12,3%, the Nordic countries with 12,1%, Russia and the ex-Soviet Union countries with 6,7%, Switzerland with 4,5% and Greece with 3,8%. The number of excursionists, visitors who did not stay overnight in the country, decreased by 9,7% and reached 138.526 in 1996. Residents In 1996 the number of Cypriots and foreigners residents of Cyprus departing for a visit abroad was estimated at 365.000 compared to 360.000 in 1995. Tourist Accommodation At the end of 1996 there were in operation 4.343 tourist accommodation units registered by the Cyprus Tourism Organization with a total capacity of 84.549 beds. Of these units 231 were hotels with stars, 291 hotel apartments, 2 tourist villages, 3.552 tourist apartments, 35 tourist villas, 17 hotels without star, 10 guesthouses, 182 furnished apartments and 23 accommodation units in traditional buildings. Overnight stays During 1996, 13,2 million overnight stays were recorded in all tourist accommodations showing a decrease of 9,4% over the previous year. Tourists accounted for 12,7 million or 96,3% of all overnight stays. 3. The report is available from the Government Printing Office at the price of £5,00 per copy. |
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