Cyprus' tourism revenue down 16.1% in first nine months

Cyprus suffered a 16.1 percent decline in its tourism revenue in the first nine months this year, as a result of less foreigners spending holidays on the sunny island.

Tourism revenue from January to September was estimated at 1.233 billion euros, compared to 1.470 billion in the corresponding period of 2008, the Statistics Service of Cyprus announced on Tuesday.

A total of 1.75 million tourists visited Cyprus during this period, compared to 1.97 million visitors in the corresponding period of 2008.

Britain remains the leading tourism market for Cyprus, with 146,530 people visiting Cyprus in September alone. It was followed by Russia with 20,691 visitors, while 16,501 Swedes spent their holidays on the eastern Mediterranean island last month.

Due to the fallout of the financial crisis and the appreciation of euro against British pound and other currencies, Cyprus' tourism operators have expected fewer arrivals and lower revenues this year.

Source:Xinhua