The Mediterranean island of Cyprus continues to experience tourism arrival growth, with 2018 results showing a year-on-year visitor increase of 7.8 per cent compared to the previous year.

New figures from the Statistical Service of the Ministry of Finance revealed full-year visitor arrivals in 2018 totalled 3,928,625, compared to 3,652,073 in the previous year.

Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates led visitor arrivals growth from the Gulf region, registering year-on-year increases of 32.8 per cent and 3.9 per cent, respectively

“The GCC continues to represent a key region for Cyprus and through continued strategic activity and partnerships with leading travel agents and airlines, 2018 was a breakthrough year where we continued building on the awareness and popularity of the island as a tourism destination,” said Christos Demetriou, regional office director – GCC & Middle East, Deputy Ministry of Tourism, Cyprus, which is responsible for organising and promoting tourism within the Republic of Cyprus.