Foreign arrivals and property purchases in the north up

A 48 per cent increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting the north was recorded during the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year, Cyprus News Agency reported on Friday.

In the first four months of 2023, some 464,000 people visited the north, the majority of whom came from Iran, Russia and Germany.

According to the PIO, the newspaper Dialog on Friday published its own data showing that in the period January to April 2023, some 13,520 Iranians, 13,042 Russians and 9,370 Germans visited.

“A significant portion of Iranians and Russians bought properties on the island and settled in the Trikomo area,” the report added.

Meanwhile, tourists from the UK (6,224), Kazakhstan with 3,426, Ukrainians with 2,272, Pakistanis with 2,988, Nigerians with 2,447, Sudanese with 1,311, Turkmen with 1,186 and Israelis with 427, were also recorded in the survey.

CNA also noted that the survey listed individuals who came to work in the north from countries such as Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan and Turkmenistan, entered the north with the status of ‘tourist’.