UN soldiers stand by as Greek Cypriots and visitors walk through the Ledra Street crossing point from the south side of Nicosia to the Turkish-occupied north in a file photo. Data made public yesterday showed that tourism arrivals to Cyprus fell 11.1 percent in the first 10 months of the year. In the January-October period, 1.98 million tourists visited the island compared to 2.23 million in the corresponding period of 2008. Tourism represents about 11 percent of Cyprus’s gross domestic product. Tourist numbers from Britain, the island’s biggest market, fell by 19.1 percent in October year-on-year. A surge in the value of the euro against the pound has made Cyprus a more expensive destination for British tourists. The drop in figures was softened by a 21.9 percent spike in tourists from Greece.