Qatar Airways will commence direct flights to and from Doha and Larnaca airports on Tuesday April 29, 2014, with the first scheduled flight expected at 11.30am.

There are encouraging indications for more natural gas and also oil discoveries in Cyprus' offshore area, with natural gas explorations well underway in five licensed blocks.

Private-sector deposits in Cypriot banks rose slightly in March 2014, the first monthly increase since November 2013, recent ECB data showed.

Alleviating concerned Larnaca residents, the Communications Minister said recently that energy companies seeking permission to work from Larnaca port only need logistics support which implies no heavy machinery.

The UK Post Office barometer shows that the coastal resort climbed to sixth place on the chart in 2014, as a top value for money resort.

Two entrepreneurs – one in Cyprus, the other in the US – have proposed the Energy Coin, an asset-backed crypto-currency to allow the pre-sale of the island's natural gas.

Hellenic Bank’s energy-saving strategies have been lauded by the energy ministry in its 'Third National Energy Efficiency Action Plan', referring to the lender's savings of 50%-60% in energy costs.

Leading ratings agencies, Standard and Poor’s and Fitch, recently upgraded their outlook for Cyprus, based on better-than-expected performance of the economy and strict adhering to the bailout plan of the Troika.

The legendary British newsreel service Pathe has recently uploaded thousands of videos on Youtube, with many films featuring Cyprus - some dating back to the earliest decades of the 20th century.

Bookings from Russia and Ukraine remained at high levels since the beginning of 2014, said the Tourism Minister, expressing his optimism about tourist arrivals for the summer of 2014 and the winter season 2014-2015.