Director of the hoteliers organisation PASYXE, Zacharias Ioannides struck a note ofcaution however, “recognising the fluidity that characterises global tourism” and the ease by which it can be affected by developments. Last year was particularly good for tourism, recording a rise of 8.0% in revenues for the state as the island reeled from the Eurogroup decision to seize bank deposits to recapitalise lenders. “We hope 2014 will be better than 2013,” Ioannides said.

The main markets showing a rise were Russia and the Ukraine, which grew following the easing of visa procedures. Ioannides voiced optimism that the UK and German markets, on a downward trend in recent years, would rebound this year following “some additional actions we have undertaken.” The biggest challenge, Ioannides said, was tackling seasonality. That could be done by co-operating and providing tour operators with the incentives, he said. This would allow more hotels to stay open during the winter season and create jobs, he added.

Revenues until November 2013 reached some €2.0 billion compared with €1.9 billion for the whole of 2012, which was up by 10.2% from 2011.

Source: Cyprus Mail