Government figures just released have confirmed our February report that the number of people visiting the island for a holiday dropped by ten per cent last year - The AFP news agency for example report:

Cyprus tourist arrivals plunged 10.9 percent in 2009, the government’s statistics office reported on Wednesday, bringing more bad news to the recession-hit economy.

The recession in Europe is now taking its toll on the Mediterranean holiday island whose tourism-reliant economy is expected to contract by 0.5 percent in 2009 and grow by the same amount this year.

Between January and December, 2.14 million tourist arrivals were recorded, compared with 2.40 million in the same period a year earlier.

In December, arrivals were 66,201 against 72,102 in December 2008 — a sizeable year-on-year decline of 8.2 percent.

Tourism contributes around 12 percent of the island’s GDP and the majority of visitors come from European countries badly hit by the global recession.

There was a 10.3 percent decline in arrivals from Britain, the island’s largest source of holidaymakers, and a lower 7.8 percent dip from Germany.

However, the number of Greek tourists rose by 3.2 percent to reach 11,381.

The figures are slightly worse than the government’s projected 10 percent fall in arrivals due to the global financial crisis.

To help ease the crisis, Cypriots have been urged to holiday at home with subsidised hotel stays for lower income groups.

More details about Cyprus including reviews for the Cyprus hotels are available at http://www.yourcyprus.info

For those who enjoy some exercise and seeing the parts of the island that tourists might not otherwise see, relaxingworldtravel.com recently reported on walking holidays in Cyprus:

This spring the Columbia Beach Resort, in the panoramic bay of Pissouri, offers short breaks for people who would like to explore Cyprus on foot to see its unique fauna and flora, and to experience some of the culture that the island is famous for. Cyprus offers the perfect destination for a walking holiday, whatever your level of fitness and the Columbia Beach Resort offers a stylish base for those who want a little luxury along with their exercise. The southern valleys of the island offer gentle paths for ambling along or try the spectacular Troodos Mountains and coastal paths or something more demanding.

This award-winning five star hotel will provide a guide for walkers and transport where needed. Here are three varied walking tours as recommended by the Columbia Beach Resort:

1. Walk the “Path of Aphrodite” on the Akamas peninsula just an hour’s drive north from the Resort. A natural spring fills a picturesque pool surrounded by greenery where mythology suggests that Aphrodite, goddess of love, used to bathe. The Baths of Aphrodite are where Aphrodite is supposed to have met her lover, the handsome Adonis, when he stopped for a drink while hunting. The moment he drank the water, Adonis fell in love with the goddess. The walking tour takes approximately three hours, is medium level in terms of difficulty, following the slender coastal paths with their impressive views across the Mediterranean at Cap Arnautis. Go in spring and see the splendour of the early blooming wild flowers too.
2. Or stay close to the hotel and enjoy its spectacular two kilometre beach framed by the white cliffs of Cape Aspro and the vineyards and orchards in the valleys behind. A gentle walk will reveal the native flowers and plants that grow in this part of the island that are constantly changing with the seasons but in spring are particularly colourful. There are more than 40 different species of orchids in vibrant colours to be discovered. And rugged cliffs surrounding the bay are a well-known nesting ground for Griffon vultures.

3. Cyprus wines are becoming recognised outside its community as a plethora of small independent wineries have emerged in recent years to make the most of the almost perfect growing conditions. The Columbia Beach Resort also offers a walking tour in the Troodos Mountains through some of its vineyards. Starting at a height of 800m at the mountain village of Panagia, the birth place of Makarios, former archbishop and President of Cyprus, the tour visits the famous Byzantine mountain monastery Chrysorroyiatissa. Now a renowned winery this is where the tour stops for tastings of the wine which has been produced since 1984 in large earthenware jars, or pithariars.

Then spend time in the Resort’s renowned Columbia spa – perfect therapy for aching limbs or just for some pampering. And enjoy the celebrated cuisine of the Columbia Beach Resort knowing that you will burn off the calories the next day.

A four night stay at the Columbia Beach Resort in Junior Suite costs from £460 / 520 Euros including breakfast (cost per suite which sleeps two people). Transfers from the nearest airport Pafos is £38 / 43 Euros one way. Costs of a guide and flights are not included. Cyprusairways.com, ba.com and Easyjet.com all fly regularly to Cyprus.

The distinctive architecture of the Resort is inspired by local Cypriot villages featuring low rise buildings in local stone. The sloping roofs furnished with reclaimed terracotta tiles and shutters on the windows and abundance of natural wood give this hotel a discreetly aged and traditional look, landscaped so that old and new blend together. The 94 suites in this all-suite hotel are arranged in ‘villas’ clustered around the 80m lagoon style pool that flows into the Columbia Spa.  To read the full article click here

For cheap Cyprus flights visit http://www.yourcyprus.info

Cyprus has centuries of history mixed with modern holiday facilities, great beaches and the Mediterranean, and the island has enjoyed a good tourist industry over the years.

But destinations newly offered in Europe to tourists has taken away some of her visitors to pastures new - notably Egypt and Turkey.

Last year the number of people taking holidays in Cyprus fell by over ten per cent, leaving many hotels with plenty of empty bedrooms and restaurants and bars taking on fewer locals.

A dual impact of the recession in Europe and the impact of the cost of Euros for British tourists can be identified as the reasons for the decline - holidays in Cyprus are as attractive as they have even been and the weather in Cyprus lived up to those who did visit expectations.

Apart from the volume of Europeans taking holidays anywhere last year falling for the first time in a long while, cheaper destinations outside of the Eurozone were promoted heavily by tour operators in the important UK market.

Hotels in Egypt and Turkey are less expensive than Cyprus, and while some savings are passed on by tour operators to the consumer, it is also more profitable for the tour operators to sell the Egyptian and Turkish hotels than the hotels in Cyprus.

But bad news for the Cyprus holiday industry isn’t necessarily bad news for the tourist - quieter restaurants, more space on the beach and some good offers for late booked Cyprus holidays all add up to why a trip there now will make sense for those who are considering it.

Villa holidays could well come down in price as well as specialist companies reduce their prices for villa holidays in Cyprus this summer and autumn.

A week’s holiday in Cyprus in June for example with Thomson Holidays starts from just over 400 Sterling a person - and that includes both flights and a hotel in Limassol, with transfers to and from the airport for arriving and departing flights to Cyprus.

And better than that even is from Thomas Cook Holidays who are offering seven nights with flights, with the hotel in Larnaca, at under 340 Sterling a person - cheaper than a lot of holidays at home!

Continuing with good value, James Villas are offering a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom villa within walking distance of the holiday town of Coral Bay - even with two adults it works out at less than 450 sterling a person.

A profile of the island is available by visiting http://www.yourcyprus.info

The Daily Telegraph suggests that Cyprus is a good location for a spring holiday and comment:

Cyprus ticks virtually all the boxes for a no-nonsense family holiday if you’re looking for a spring break. There’s the climate (326 days of sunshine a year), obviously, plus a reasonable flying time, plenty of beaches or activity-based options, and numerous inexpensive package or self-catering deals from major tour operators. Here is my selection of the best:  Click here to read the rest of the article.

For flights to Cyprus visit yourcyprus.info - they also have a Cyprus weather forecast.

If you’re off on holiday to Cyprus this year, the good news is that Larnaca Airport is up and running.

MSN report:

The 100,000 square metre (1.1 million square foot) high-tech terminal is four times larger than its predecessor, just a couple of kilometres away on the island’s south coast.

The old terminal had originally been built as a makeshift facility in February 1975 after the island’s only airport, in the capital Nicosia, got caught up in no-man’s land following the Turkish invasion eight months earlier.

Larnaca airport now has double the capacity to handle passenger traffic of up to 7.5 million people annually with a provision to extend this to nearly 10 million when the need arises.

Key features include 67 check-in counters, 16 air bridges, departure and arrivals situated on different levels and parking for 2,650 vehicles.

It took three years to build at a cost 656 million euros (973 million dollars) in what is one the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Cyprus.

Officials hope the new airport will also attract foreign investment to Cyprus.

Flight operations from the new airport will begin on Tuesday, with Cyprus Airways and easyjet flights only and become fully operational from November 17. To read the full article click here

For information about the island, including the Cyprus weather and flights to Cyprus visit http://www.yourcyprus.info

The number of people buying a property in Cyprus has crashed - according to the island’s Land Registry the number of overseas buyers fell by an astonishing 76 per cent.

Reuters recently ran an article about how climate change could affect Cyprus. Here’s an extract:

“Climate change is going to affect this region in a relatively strong way, and differently than northern Europe,” said Jos Lelieveld, a professor in atmospheric sciences at the Energy, Environment and Water Research Center at the non-profit Cyprus Institute.

Cyprus has a tourism intake of more than two million each year, attracted by its almost year-round sunshine and stunning beaches. The sector represents about 11 percent of its economy. But its key selling point, the sun, could be a malady if forecasts on changing weather patterns prove to be correct.

“For the tourist sector the summer seasons may become less attractive,” said Lelieveld, who is also a director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany.

To read the full article click here

For a Cyprus weather forecast and holidays in Cyprus visit yourcyprus.info

An article at assetz.news reported recently that property in Cyprus is overpriced - here is what they had to say:

I saw a report today talking about the Cyprus property market and house builders have given up giving free furnishing packs and paying for purchase costs having come to the realisation they need to offer much better deals. Overseas purchasers have reduced to around 25% of the numbers that the country was used to prior to the credit crunch.

Cyprus prices got carried away a few years ago and we moved away from the country for a while but things are now changing.

You have been able to get bargains from a resale perspective for over a year now but developers are particularly stubborn in Cyprus and the beginning of their getting real is now underway with and suggesting that 10% discounts are a superb buying opportunity. Hold out for 30% to 40% discounts as I’m sure we going to be seeing those at some point over the next 12 months otherwise many of the developers could well be going bust as they are significantly leveraged in many cases.

In many ways it’s not much different to here in the UK…

To read the full article click here

Unlike some islands in the Mediterranean Cyprus doesn’t rely almost exclusively on tourism to fuel its economy. Luckily with the downturn in the world economy only about 11 percent of the country’s revenue comes from tourism.

Year-to-Year Comparison

January and February saw a combined 11.1 percent drop in the number of people taking holidays in Cyprus, and it hasn’t been getting better since then. The first half of 2009 saw a fall in British visitors of about 20 to 30 percent who ecided that the lure of the weather in Cyprus wasn’t enough.

Monetary Issues

Some say monetary exchange rates are the principle cause of the reduction of visitors from Britain. The current exchange rate from euro to sterling is far lower than it was in 2008.

Many tourists look for low rates and great deals on travel packages. More than 50 percent of European holidaymakers choose to spend their vacation time in more traditional spots. Either way, money-aware travelers are looking for the best value for their money.

Only about 25 percent of European vacationers prefer to visit less-known places. They prefer vacation destinations that are more quiet and remote. Some are in search of quiet, outdoor activities while others simply like to visit alternative locations from year to year.

A lot of people chose to stay home this summer. Three percent of those polled said they could not vacation this year without going in debt. The world-wide economic issues have caused many well-known holiday destinations to become less crowded during the 2009 season. Most residents of Greece for example chose to vacation within the country this year instead of travelling abroad.

Most Popular Holiday Destinations

Some of the most popular destinations are the Balearic Islands, Rome, London and Paris. The United States, Turkey and Croatia are also popular destinations for Europeans this year.

The Balearic Islands are comprised of a group of 5 islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the main ones being Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza. The primary languages spoken are Spanish and Catalan but many natives have learned English to accommodate English-speaking visitors. Ibiza is well known as both a party and family destination. Crystal blue waters and sandy beaches await visitors to the islands.

Though fewer people are visiting Cyprus this year, next year may prove to be a different story. The economy is starting a slow climb upward and people are learning to save for things they enjoy. Tourism in 2010 will likely see tourists and international travellers going back to their favourite destinations, including Cyprus of course.

For more travel articles and up to date news visit twitter