Unemployment in November increased over the previous month, but more seriously is up 9.5% over the figure for November of last year. This seems consistent with the number of closed shops, banks, restaurants and cafés that we’ve observed but calls into question the steady increase in reported tourist numbers. We actually were asked once to answer tourism survey questions at Larnaca airport a number of years ago. J not into surveys but usually I’m up for it. Probably the academic in me - impossible to collect good data and engage in useful planning if nobody will answer questions. But this was so long and ultimately so intrusive that I gave up part way through the interview and told the young woman I was unwilling to complete it.
Pharmacies appear never to go out of business here. It would be an exaggeration to say there is one on every block, but not much of one. Prices not particularly good, possibly on the same principle that taxi prices here are high - if there are too many franchises then only high charges make it possible to make a living. Quite a lot of pharmacies in the North as well, but there the prices are significantly lower. Also quite a few medications that would require a prescription in other countries are available from the pharmacist over the counter in the North, which made our life considerably easier when we were locked down in 2020. To avoid any confusion over accent or different brand names would just take the empty bottle in and say do you have this. No problems.