The number of tourist arrivals rose 15% last year to 3,652,073, beating the previous year’s record figure, mainly on a strong rise in numbers of visitors from secondary markets, the statistical service said recently.

Cyprus has been approved for preliminary EU funding of €101m to construct infrastructure for the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for power generation, Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said recently.

The number of company registrations rose 0.9% in 2017 to 13,743, the highest figure since 2013, the Department of the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver said.

Targeted internet marketing, electronic government and its new digital strategy are at the forefront of the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency (Cipa) plans to promote Cyprus as an investment centre over the next three years, its general director announced recently.

Contracts for Larnaca port and marina project are expected to be signed in 2018, Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Marios Demetriades said.

Cyprus ranks first within the EU in terms of per capita absorption of funds from Europe’s largest Research and Innovation Programme, called ‘Horizon 2020’, Dr Vassilis Tsakalos, General Director of the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation (RPF), told CNA.

Cyprus and Jordan recently signed bilateral agreements on economic and technical cooperation, mutual academic recognition of higher education qualifications, public health and medical science, as well as agriculture and rural development.

Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, investor PMV Maritime Holdings and the Paralimni municipality have signed contracts for the building of the Paralimni marina.

The area of construction projects that secured a building permit in January to October last year rose an annual 35% to 1,129,084 square meters, while their value rose 38%, to €1.3bn, the statistical service said.

Gemalto and Bank of Cyprus have teamed up to offer biometric EMV (Europay, MasterCard, and Visa) cards for the latter’s customers.