Once more Cyprus is announcing an increase in tourists. ”In January 2019.
The Travelers Survey conducted by the Statistical Service of Cyprus and published on Monday, showed that arrivals of tourists in January 2019 reached 81,970 compared to 75,867 in January 2018, recording an increase of 8.0% and were the highest ever recorded in January. Arrivals from the United Kingdom increased by 17.6% in January 2019 compared to January 2018 from 19,945 to 23,447.”
A little cynicism may be in order. For one thing, the numbers always go up, never down, which is possible, of course, but seems unlikely. More to the point, it seems highly unlikely that such precise figures can be accurate. Fair enough, if we come through immigration with Canadian passports we are presumably tourists, though we might conceivably be business people. Appearances can be deceiving. But how can they possibly tell whether a couple with British passports are on holiday, visiting relatives, or are expats who live (and possibly work) here? The EU queue moves pretty quickly, so it seems highly improbable that people are being questioned. In fact we’re never asked why we’re here, though for the first time last month we were asked when we were leaving. We’re required to leave within 90 days. True, they sometimes do surveys in the departure lounges, but they’re pretty amateur, and so long and intrusive that even I, a sucker for surveys (it’s the ex-academic in me) have given up on them. Suspect the “official” figures are just an unsubtle form of self-aggrandisement.
Translation smile of the day: Sklavenites is selling “grounded” coffee. It’s always good to be grounded.
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