DISCOVER CYPRUS AN ISLAND WITH MYTHOLOGY, EXCITING HISTORY, RICH CULTURE & RELEGION ,
Cyprus is an island of legends that basks year-round in the light of the warm Mediterranean sun, with a storied past going back around 10,000 years. It has seen civilizations come and go and the likes of everyone from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra stake their claim for it - but then, people do tend to get possessive when faced with such beauty. Aphrodite made her home on Cyprus, and travellers throughout antiquity came here just to pay her tribute.
Today Cyprus is a modern country that effortlessly marries European culture with ancient enchantment. Here the visitor may discover a compact world of alluring beaches and fragrant mountain peaks, vineyards studded with olive trees and ancient ruins that stir the imagination, citrus groves and old stone villages where sweet wine flows as freely as conversations at the local café. A carefree place where the sense of timelessness is magnified by the kindness of the people.
Indeed, Cyprus seems to have something to offer to every single visitor. Ravishing five-star resorts within walking distance of well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins offer every amenity the modern traveller has come to expect and more, from knock-out pools, gardens and beachfronts to state of the art thalassotherapy health spas. One of the most impressive archaeological sites, the ancient city kingdom of Kourion, overlooks a magnificent stretch of beaches with a sparkling blue sea beyond. Along the island's sun-kissed coastline, from Agia Napa in the east to Pafos in the west, world-class beach resorts alternate with settings untouched since antiquity.
Venture away from the sybaritic shore - if you can bring yourself to - and succumb to the slow, seductive rhythms of the interior. There are old wine-producing villages with atmospheric winding streets and terraced vineyards. You can often stay the night for a song in cozy renovated traditional houses, part of the Cyprus agro tourism programme. Explore Greek Orthodox churches nestled in the hills, whose walls conceal vibrantly painted Byzantine frescoes. Many are found among the pine-covered peaks of the Troodos, where a sublime silence can dissolve all sense of time, not to mention stress.
Along the route that leads from the port city of Lemesos (Limassol) to Pafos, the roadway opens up to reveal a magnificent stretch of coastline where chalky white cliffs stand watch over a dazzling aquamarine sea. Here sun worshippers make detours for a picnic and a swim at Petra tou Romiou, a boulder that marks the spot where Aphrodite emerged from the sea foam in ancient times. In the Akamas region, hikers exploring the area's rich flora can cool off at the grotto where the love goddess bathed after her amorous interludes.
Throughout Cyprus, the typically Mediterranean landscape is still blessed with the timeless beauty of antiquity. There are crusader fortresses framed by tall cypress trees, Greco-Roman theatres carved out of cliffs and Byzantine monasteries perched improbably on mountaintops. Sophisticated cities successfully balance the ancient and modern. The capital, Lefkosia (Nicosia), is surrounded by Venetian walls with heart-shaped bastions; Larnaka, site of the major international airport, is also home to St. Lazarus Church and the crypt of the eponymous saint resurrected by Christ. Near the animated harbor at Pafos are the Roman floor mosaics of the Houses of Aion, Achilles and Dionysus, their depictions of mythological scenes amazingly well preserved.
The Cyprus mystique is as much a product of its legendary beauty as it is of millennia of competing empires, all unable to resist the island’s strategic allure. The perfect location, of course, never goes out of style. Nestled into the eastern Mediterranean Sea and a veritable crossroads of three continents, Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and an ideal starting point for the discovery of other exotic locales such as the Greek Islands, Egypt and the Middle East - in fact, mini-cruises set off for these places from Cyprus almost every day. But close as Cyprus may be to the world's center stage, it is a distinctive place that can feel blissfully apart from it all.
From independent travellers to honeymooners, archaeology aficionados to friends of nature, every visitor to Cyprus finds the island offers layer upon layer of discovery. Food lovers delight in farm-fresh halloumi cheese and delectable meze, the local specialty appetizers that mix Western ingredients with Eastern zest. Travellers on business appreciate the fine conference facilities and warm, professional service at hotels and resorts, and like incentive groups value the proximity of the beach. And that golden Old World sunshine - there are generally 300-plus sunny days per year - is something few can resist. Add it all up and you have an ideally-situated island that truly has no equal. A place that measures up to its mystique: Cyprus.
TOURISM IN CYPRUS
The healthy climate and natural beauties of Cyprus, as well as its archaeological wealth and the traditional hospitality of its people make the island an ideal holiday destination. Since the independence in 1960, tourism development has been accorded a very high degree of priority by the Cyprus Government.
With the exception of the disruption brought about by the Turkish invasion in 1974, growth in this sector was continuous and rapid, with tourism now constituting one of the major sectors of the Cyprus economy. The Turkish invasion inflicted a serious blow to the tourism industry, with the loss of the Nicosia International Airport, and 65% of the island's total bed capacity in the two main tourist regions of Famagusta and Kyrenia, totaling about 12.353 beds. As a result of the invasion, tourist arrivals had declined sharply with only 47.085 tourists visiting the island in 1975 as compared to 264.066 in 1973.
However, through the serious efforts exerted by both the Government and the private sector the tourist industry was revitalized and Cyprus was soon re-established on the World Tourist Map. By 1979 tourist arrivals surpassed the pre-invasion levels and in 1999 tourist inflow reached 2.434.285. In 2017 the tourist inflow reached 3.652.073.
Cyprus offers a wide variety of holiday accommodation and caters to all holiday budgets. Accommodation ranges from modern, large and luxurious establishments to small and simple family-run operations. Holiday accommodation includes hotels, hotel apartments, tourist villages, tourist villas, camping sites, traditional houses, tourist apartments, furnished apartments, guesthouses and hotels without star. Accommodation in private houses is not available in Cyprus.
In the past years Cyprus has welcomed significant number of South African tourists to its shores. This number is increasing annually and statistics show that South African tourists are making Cyprus their annual holiday destination. Some have even purchased property on the island.
The modern tourist accommodation infrastructure in Cyprus is widely recognized as being one of the strengths of the Cyprus tourist product, mainly due to strict legislation governing the establishment and operation of hotels, which demands high standards in accommodation facilities.
The main objectives of the new tourist policy can be summarized as follows:
(a) Improvement and enrichment of the tourist product through the creation and construction of extensive general infrastructural works, such as golf courses, marinas, parks, nature trails, sports facilities and health centers
(b) Restriction in the rate of creation of new bed capacity and encouragement of the up-grading of existing accommodation.
(c) Maintenance of the competitiveness of the Cyprus tourist product.
(d) The development of agrotourism: Incentives for agrotourism are provided through low interest loans for the renovation of village houses and the undertaking of schemes for the improvement of the tourist infrastructure.
Agro-industry, handicrafts, a traditional winery, farming and self-employment schemes are also provided with funds.
(e) Increase in earnings from tourism
Travellers arriving in the Republic of Cyprus may enter the Republic only through the legal ports of entry: Larnaca and Pafos International Airports, or the ports of Larnaca, Limassol and Pafos.
As a result of the Turkish invasion and military occupation of the northern part of Cyprus, all airports and ports in the occupied part of the Republic have been declared by the Government of Cyprus as prohibited ports of entry and exit, and no visitor should enter or leave the Republic through these ports.
The Cyprus Tourism Organization as a statutory body took over responsibility for the development, promotion and marketing and general management of the Cyprus tourist sector as of January 1, 1971.
Further information on Cyprus tourism is available in the website of the Cyprus Tourism Organization at www.visitcyprus.com