Cyprus expects full tourism sector rebound by 2024

By AP 16 December 2021, 6:15 pm

Edit

A family on vacations lounges at the pool of Nissi Blue hotel in southeast resort of Ayia Napa, in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, on May 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

The government of Cyprus expects tourism to start fully rebounding in 2022 after arrivals this year increased a healthy 175 percent over a dismal 2020, says its deputy tourism minister.

Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios says the Mediterranean island nation recorded around 1.7 million traveler arrivals between January and October, 54% fewer than in the record-setting year of 2019.

But unlike other years, arrivals noticeably increased this fall instead of dropping off in September, Perdios says.

He says tourism is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.

Tourism directly accounts for 13% of Cyprus’ economy and the precipitous drop in revenue during the first months of the pandemic hit the country hard.