CYPRUS AIRPORTS EMBRACE MORE CONNECTIONS
Flights to Cyprus airports have steadily increased over the last few years. The latest increase was recorded this winter with arrivals and departures increasing by by approximately 7% in comparison to last year.
It is projected that numbers will once again be surpassed this year, with both Larnaca and Paphos airports expected to handle around 13 million passengers this year. This will mark a notable increase from 12 million passengers in 2024. This is mainly due to additional flight destinations that have been added to both Cyprus international airports.
New routes confirmed to the following destinations for 2025 from various carriers
EasyJet: From Amsterdam in the Netherlands
AnimaWings: From Bucharest in Romania
Cyprus Airways: From Venice in Italy
Aegean: From Rome in Italy
Ryanair: From Düsseldorf in Germany
Condor: From Frankfurt in Germany
Condor: From Düsseldorf in Germany
Ryanair: From Katowice in Poland
SkyUP: From Chișinău in Moldova
Transavia: From Marseille in France
Transavia: From Lyon in France
Air Haifa: From Tel Aviv in Israel
Saudia: From Riyadh in Saudi Arabia
CYPRUS IS ONE OF THE BEST HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS?
Cyprus was recently honoured with the ‘Destination Award’ at the Routes World Airline Conference in Bahrain. Cyprus competed with the likes of the Philippines, Spain, Japan, and Malta in this category.
This is the first time Cyprus has received this award and it is a recognition of the significant efforts of the Cypriot Government and THE TOURISM MINISTRYÂ that constantly promote the country as a travel destination.
A STRONG INCREASE IN NUMBERS
Cyprus has seen a strong increase in visitors travelling to and from the Republic of Cyprus. Tourism also boosted the Cypriot economy by €3.2 billion last year. This saw visitor numbers surpass 4 million for the first time, constituting an overall increase of 5%. Â
A WELCOME ECONOMIC BOOST
The strong increase in visitors to Cyprus has also boosted the overall tourism economy. Total revenues from December last year reached €86.9 million. This is up from €74.3 million on the previous year. This economic boost is part of a larger trend that saw total tourism revenue for the year amounting to €3.2 billion marking a 7.3% rise on the previous year. The average per capita expenditure of each tourist last year was just over €650. This reflected an overall 8.7% increase on the previous year. British visitors made up 23.7% of all arrivals and they spent an average of just over €60 per day. Arrivals from Israel made up 17.4% of all arrivals and spent an average of just over €160 per day. Polish tourists made up 9.4% of all arrivals and spent an average of just over €70 per day.
A YEAR ON YEAR IMPROVEMENT
June through September 2024, saw the most visitor arrivals on the island. August, however, remained the most popular month, recording just over 550,000 arrivals, marking an 8.5% increase on the previous year. December also saw a strong increase in arrivals. Traveller numbers reached 133,063, compared to 123,630 for the previous year, marking a 7.6% overall increase. These figures, however, include Cypriot residents travelling abroad for leisure, business and studies.
NUMBERS ON TARGET
Despite some adverse conditions and a challenging start to the previous year, recent figures have indicated promising signs for the tourism sector on the island. June, July & August are the months that usually perform particularly well. The increase in passenger numbers, arriving during these months, has often beaten previous records year on year. Direct flights to the United Kingdom, which remains the island’s biggest visitor market, have increased and this has helped to maintain high numbers. The industry, however, still faces challenges with a dramatic drop in direct flight availability from other important European markets. This has made it more difficult for Cyprus to attract visitors from countries that include France, Denmark, and Sweden, impacting the tourist sector negatively. This, as well as the introduction of new European-wide visa controls, is also expected to negatively impact future visitor numbers to the island.Â
AN AMBITIOUS STRATEGY
THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM has recently identified a new strategy to increase visitor numbers. This involves introducing as many new direct flight routes to the island as possible. This is reinforced by the fact that after the introduction of more direct flights, to and from Israel, Poland, and Germany, increased traveller numbers to the island steadily increased. As a result THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM is constantly seeking to implement this strategy across the board. THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM is currently offering a generous package of lucrative incentives to introduce new direct flights. These are aimed at several national airline carriers from all over the world.Â
THE ISLAND'S BIGGEST MARKET
The United Kingdom remains as the island’s most important market. It currently accounts for the largest source of annual visitors, which numbers an average of approximately 40% of the market. British Airways recently acknowledged this and took full advantage of the incentives introduced by THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM. The United Kingdom’s national carrier recently expanded its direct flight schedules from Gatwick to Larnaca and there are plans to introduce new direct routes from other parts of the United Kingdom.Â
THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE FLYING
Aviation as a whole has revolutionised travel. New technology and the overall low costs have created an environment where flying has become like a long commute. Most international airports have become vibrant hubs of activity with travellers looking for stress-free travel with as little disruption as possible. The industry, however, is still dependent on changing airport schedules, aircraft reliability, and the weather, so it is no secret that things could still sometimes go wrong. Delayed flights or diverted planes can cause inconvenience to travellers, adding delays and stress to journeys. With this in mind, there are a few things that can make journeys smoother and packing certain things, in preparation for air travel, could make all the difference when these delays occur.
A FEW HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS
On-board entertainment: Watching a movie or playing a computer game is a good way to kill time during a flight. A good set of noise-cancelling headphones will cut out aircraft noise.Â
Power banks: Keeping all tech devices charged is often a top priority. Travelling without access to a phone can be incredibly inconvenient as well as unsafe. Phones placed in airplane mode after take-off will increase battery power as this will prevent them from scanning for a network, and a good quality power bank will ensure that all tech devices remain charged before or during a flight.Â
Freezing liquids: Several countries operate a ban on liquids taken through airport security and a good way around this problem is to freeze all liquids before travelling. Freezing liquids before going through airport security will save time and hassle. It might be a good idea, however, to place all frozen liquids in a waterproof bag to protect other items from moisture after the liquids thaw.Â
Sanitizers: It might be a good idea to pack some wet wipes and liquid hand sanitizer before travelling. Many of these come in an anti-bacterial form. Cleaning of aircraft takes place after every flight but it is still good practice to give the table seat an extra clean before using it.
Online Check-in: This saves a huge amount of time, and once checked in, the boarding pass can be printed or saved electronically on a phone. This allows all travellers, with the absence of luggage, to simply go directly through airport security.Â
