CYPRUS Tourism is organising a number of events in the region this year particularly aimed at boosting the island destination’s Mice visitors.
The first will be a roadshow in the UAE prior to GIBTM and there will be a workshop in December in Lebanon, which is still the country’s highest producing market from the region.
Vassilis Theocharides, director for Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) in Dubai, said: “We also organise a specialised VIP Mice educational in December from most of our offices, which proves very successful. CTO Dubai also has an incentive programme for all Mice groups which offers agents subsidies for meals, transfers and meet/greet at the airport.”
According to recently released official data, tourism revenues in Cyprus rose 3.8 per cent in 2010, with revenue for January to December 2010 reaching €1.54 billion ($2.1 billion) compared with €1.49 billion ($2 billion) in 2009.
Income from tourism accounts for nearly 12 per cent of the island’s gross domestic product and the 2010 figure is the first rise in tourism income since 2007.
The total number of arrivals to Cyprus in 2010 was 2,172,993 with 55,036 of these coming from the Middle East.
Those travelling from Lebanon made up the greatest number at 20,660, followed by the UAE with 11,827 and Egypt with 4,318 and Theocharides added that, ‘though 2011 is proving to be a disturbing year in the Middle East for obvious reasons, we did show a growth rate of 12 per cent from the UAE and 13 per cent from Lebanon in January’.
In December, tourists spent €40.9 million ($56.3 million) in Cyprus - 4.2 per cent less than the same period in 2009 but the government predicts improved tourism income will help the economy to grow by around 1.5 per cent in 2011.