Cyprus aiming for 80,000 Swiss tourists in 2024

Cyprus’ Deputy Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday stated that it sees a feasible opportunity for a further increase in tourist arrivals from Switzerland, estimating the number of visits from the country to reach 80,000 this year.

According to a statement by the ministry, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis recently conducted a number of meetings in Zurich, Switzerland, a market that has been on the rise, with arrivals in 2023 reaching 73,000, marking a 20 per cent increase from 2022.

The statement noted that during his visit, Koumis met with high-ranking officials from tourism organisations which operate tours and flight schedules to Cyprus.

They exchanged views on the progress of the Swiss market in 2023, the satisfaction levels of Swiss visitors, issues related to special forms of tourism, and the current air connectivity between the two countries, especially in light of the current year.

Moreover, as part of his visit, the Deputy Minister of Tourism also gave an interview to a well-known Swiss magazine specialising in tourism.

“The Swiss market is a market that every country, every tourist destination, desires and targets, as it holds a high position among the countries that make up the mix of tourist flows,” Koumis said.

He also stressed the importance of the average per capita spending of Swiss visitors, which is significantly higher than the overall average, making the Swiss market particularly appealing for tourist destinations.

Following the discussions, he noted that considering the available airline seats, a “reasonable increase in visitors is feasible compared to the previous year”.

“If this happens, we are expected to reach 80,000 arrivals, which will be the best performance in the last two decades in terms of the Swiss market,” he added.

It should be noted that according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, each person residing in Switzerland undertook an aver­age of 2.6 trips with overnight stays, as well as an average of eight daily trips, in 2022, the last year for which there are finalised figures.

In addition, the office noted that 40 per cent of overnight trips and 92 per cent of day trips took place in Switzerland.

Moreover, the most common travel destination of Swiss visitors during 2022 was Italy with a share of 13 per cent of all trips with overnight stays, followed by Germany with 10 per cent, and France with 8 per cent.

A quarter of all trips were to another European country while only 4 per cent involved Swiss residents visiting a destination outside of Europe.

Additionally, on a regional level, 1.2 per cent of Swiss tourists visited Southeast Europe in 2022, a rise of 0.2 per cent over 2021.

Furthermore, 1.6 per cent of Swiss tourists visited Southwest Europe, a rise of 0.5 per cent over 2021.

Meanwhile, Koumis also recently held discussions in Brussels, in an effort to boost tourism from Belgium.

While there, Koumis focused on increased air travel and promotional programmes, expressing optimism for growth, citing favourable conditions and anticipated air travel expansion.