The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) has launched a new campaign with a budget of 19 million euros ($26.7 million) designed to boost international tourism to Cyprus this year.

According to Alecos Orountiotis, CTO chairman, the “Cyprus in Your Heart” campaign will promote Cyprus’ history and culture, friendliness and hospitality, its mix of modern and contemporary and the wide range of activities that one can enjoy by exploring the island.

The campaign is being run through posters and short TV spots.

According to a report from the Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus, tourists from the Middle East played a significant role in a recent increase in tourist arrivals, with the UAE and Lebanon being the largest source countries from the region.

On the basis of the results of the passenger survey conducted by the Statistics Service, tourist figures reached 199,762 in April compared to 139,658 in April 2010, recording an increase of 43 per cent.

An increase of 29.1 per cent was recorded in tourist arrivals from the UK (from 62,742 in April 2010 to 80,998 in April 2011), a 74 per cent increase from Russia (from 10,910 to 18,987) and a 30.8 per cent increase of arrivals from Germany (from 13,724 to 17,956 this year).

A grand total of 405,463 tourists arrived in the all-weather Mediterranean island paradise between the months of January-April 2011, as compared to 344,664 in the corresponding period of 2010, recording an overall increase of 17.6 per cent.

Orountiotis said that in 2010 promotion efforts were affected by the harsh prevailing environment, with the consequences of the global financial crisis, the eruption of the volcano in Iceland, the global drop in recreation trips from Britain, reduced credit, pressure from travel organisers, viability problems faced by travel agents and air carriers, and the void left by the closing of Eurocypria airline.

He noted that, despite the drop in the UK market, there have been increases from the Russian, German and Scandinavian markets.

Orountiotis also referred to the prospect of increasing air connectivity, noting that ''the lively interest expressed by important airlines in Cyprus, the launch of new flights and the enhancement of existing ones, are not at all haphazard but the result of our unwavering efforts.''

“We have before us, significant opportunities, and to achieve multiple results for tourism, establishing Cyprus as an all-year-round destination, we have to exploit them,” Orountiotis added. – TradeArabia News Service