Cyprus has emerged as an ideal holiday destination for Israelis looking to immerse themselves in the European Christmas spirit, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth wrote on Tuesday, with the story reaching Cypriot media after being published by the Cyprus News Agency on Wednesday.

“It turns out you don’t have to take out a loan, dry out on a long flight for hours, and freeze in alpine weather to feel the Christmas spirit of Europe,” Yedioth Ahronoth writes.

Praising Cyprus for its Christmas villages, the mild weather and the long Christmas holiday season until Ephiphany day in January, the newspaper describes Cyprus as the perfect getaway “only a 45-minute flight from Ben Gurion Airport.”

The newspaper recommends Kalopanayiotis and Lefkara as particularily beautiful villages, however warning possible future visitors of the island’s left-hand traffic as a remnant of British colonialism.

“Not working for you? Take public transportation,” it writes.

Cyprus, and Limassol in particular, are described as notably “Israeli-friendly.”

The author goes on to recommend an Israeli ice cream parlour at the Limassol port, a hotel, which “Israelis and the Hebrew language are an integral part of” and casinos as key destinations to visit on the island.

“Unlike the streets of Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece, which are crammed with graffiti against Israel and the IDF, while cycling in the Limassol port area, which is mainly about looking at graffiti and graffiti, we saw mostly anti-Turkish slogans.”

The island is described as a destination offering “good value for money” hotel rooms for €300 per night, performances of Israeli singers and cheap supermarkets full of souvenirs.

Recently published statistics revealed that in September, Israeli visitors were one of the largest tourist group visiting Cyprus, with the island recording a revenue of €499.9 million mainly due to British and Israeli tourists.

Overall, Israelis accounted for 14 per cent of tourist visits to the island,staying in Cyprus for an average of 4.4 nights and an average overall spending of €695.80 per-person and €158.14 daily.