NICOSIA, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus achieved a new tourism milestone in 2024, attracting visitors numbering four times its population of just under one million, Deputy Minister for Tourism Costas Koumis announced on Tuesday.
Citing newly released figures by the Statistical Service (Cystat), Koumis said 4.04 million tourists visited Cyprus last year. This marks a 5.7 percent increase over the previous record set in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic when 3.977 million tourists were recorded.
The 2024 figure also represents a 5.1 percent rise compared to 2023, the second-best year for tourism, which saw 3.846 million arrivals.
Speaking to the CyBC state broadcaster, Koumis emphasized the significance of this achievement for the economy, especially considering challenges such as conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Travel and tourism contributed approximately 21 percent to the eastern Mediterranean island's annual gross domestic product (GDP), which stood at about 33.88 billion euros (35.32 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024. ■
