Cyprus is heading towards a new record in tourist arrivals in 2017, after registering an historic high of 3.2 million tourists last year, MPs heard on Tuesday.

Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) Deputy Director General, Marinos Menelaou, told the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism, that the first quarter of 2017 is presenting an increase in arrivals of 13.5%, compared with the same quarter in 2016, with an annual increase in revenue of 23% for the first two months.

He added that bookings from the United Kingdom, the biggest tourist market for Cyprus, are registering an increase of 10% in 2017, compared to 2016.

Menelaou said that this year`s winter, considered to be the second best of all time, arrivals reached 298.000, indicating that seasonality is being addressed.

For the winter period of 2017-2018 bookings are projected to increase by 20%. In 2016 Cyprus saw an historic record with arrivals reaching 3.2 million and revenues increasing to €2,3 billion.

“It seems that last year`s record will be surpassed this year,” Chairman of the Committee, Angelos Votsis said.

Despite the increase in demand, the hoteliers have contained their prices, unlike Spain where prices have increased, Zacharias Ioannides, Director General of the Cyprus Hotels Association, PASIXE, told the MPs.

“Cyprus is considered to be the second cheapest in the Mediterranean, following Turkey, that presents a drop of 50% in bookings” he said.