The survey took place at the island’s two international airports in the cities of Larnaca and Paphos.

It showed that tourists chose Cyprus as their holiday destination because of the sunny weather and the sea, the tranquillity and the attractiveness of the environment, the hospitality, its cuisine and culture.

Visitors during the period under review were ‘very satisfied’ overall with 62% saying they were ‘fully satisfied’, giving Cyprus 5 out of 5 for the total experience. 35% more gave the island a 4 out of 5. Only 0.2% gave a rating of 1 or 2.

In addition, some 28% said they chose Cyprus because they had visited the island in the past or because friends and relatives had suggested it.

As for whether they themselves would recommend it to others back home, 89% said they would. This rose to 94% among Brits. Also, 92% said they would return in the next three or four years, rising to 96% for Russian visitors, and lower – 83% – among Scandinavians.

More than 95% of the tourists stayed in the government-controlled areas, while only 2.2% stayed in the north with another 2% staying on both sides. In 2018, the share of those staying in the north by tourist market was greater in the case of visitors from Germany at 6.7%.

Three of four tourists stayed in licensed hotels and apartments compared with seven out of ten in 2017. Of these, one quarter opted for all-inclusive hotels. This figure was higher for Scandinavian visitors at 41% and lowest among Greeks 2%.

Around 10% of visitors stayed in rented villas compared with 14.6% last year.

Of those surveyed, 85% said Cyprus had been their first choice of holiday. The remaining 15% said Greece, Spain, Turkey and Italy were among their first choices before Cyprus.

Source: Cyprus Mail