Between January and December 2018, a total of 3,938,625 tourists chose Cyprus as their destination, compared to the 3,652,073 tourists who visited in the corresponding period in 2017.

The 2018 figures for tourist arrivals were the highest ever recorded in a period of one year, Cystat said.

The figures for December 2018 were also record-breaking for the month. A total of 106,563 tourists arrived in Cyprus in December 2018, marking a 7.8% increase compared with the corresponding period of the year before which saw a total of 98,924.

Tourist arrivals from Britain increased in December 2018 by 13.6% and from Greece by 13.5% compared with the corresponding month in 2017.

An 18.8% decrease was recorded for tourist arrivals from Russia, while arrivals from Israel fell by 7.2%.

Overall, Cystat notes that Britain (30.1%) constituted the main source of tourism for Cyprus for December 2018, followed by Greece (14.8%), Russia (9.4%) and Israel (8.7%).

Some 51.1% of arrivals in December 2018 came to Cyprus for holidays, while 36.9% travelled to visit friends or family, and 11.9% travelled for professional reasons.

Meanwhile, Cystat noted that there was also a 10.2% increase in the number of Cyprus residents who travelled abroad in December 2018, when 11,300 more trips abroad were recorded compared to December 2017.

Source: Cyprus Mail