Cyprus tourism gets boost
Cyprus is highly rated as a tourist destination by its foreign visitors, who express satisfaction with the quality of services on offer and say they intend to return for other vacations, according to a survey presented yesterday by Cypriot Tourism Organization (CTO) President Fotis Fotiou. Over 90 percent of respondents said their general experience was satisfactory, although no more than 30 percent said they were fully satisfied with their visit in Cyprus. A high 80 percent said they may well visit Cyprus again in the future. Three out of 10 tourists said Cyprus offered less value for money than did other destinations they had visited recently, while only 5 percent believe the Cypriot tourism product has better value than its competitors. Crucially, 38 percent answered that they found Cyprus to be better than what they had expected, 60 percent found it about the same and just 2 percent found it worse. Accommodation and restaurants scored over 90 percent in satisfaction levels, but cleanliness scored only 75 percent; satisfaction with the protection and maintenance of natural environment was as low as 57 percent. Just under 10 percent approved of the levels of cleanliness and protection of the natural environment. Seven out of eight foreigners surveyed visited Cyprus for a vacation, while 5 percent went to visit friends and family and 4.5 percent for professional reasons. Fotiou said that the survey, conducted by the University of Cyprus, provides CTO and other parties involved with certain reliable data about how tourists see the country’s tourism product. Fotiou said CTO’s strategic planning aims to put Cyprus back on the global tourism map as a quality destination that offers its visitors opportunities for a rich experience.
