Cyprus Tourism

According to the World Economic Forum's 2013 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, Cyprus' tourism industry ranks 29th in the world in terms of overall competitiveness. In terms of Tourism Infrastructure, in relation to the tourism industry Cyprus ranks 1st in the world.

With some of the most popular and cleanest beaches in Europe much of the tourist industry relies on "sun, sea and sand" to attract tourists. This reflects in the seasonal distribution of tourist arrivals with a disproportionate number arriving during the summer months (with 32% being on the east coast of the island). Whereas most eastern resorts like Protaras and Ayia Napa lie dormant in the winter months the remainder of the island remains open to tourism with the promotion of Cypriot history, culture, art and golf.

With over 2 million tourist arrivals per year, it is the 40th most popular destination in the world. However, per capita of local population it ranks 6th. Just over 50% of the tourists arrive from the UK and the second largest being Russian. The Russian tourists have historically represented approx. 6% of the tourist population, but since relaxing the visa process, this has increased over the past two years to 10% and is increasing rapidly year on year.