Tourism in North Cyprus is on the rise after the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Recent data from the Tourism Ministry shows a promising trend: hotel occupancy surged to 31.3% during the first two months of 2024, marking a significant increase from the 24.5% recorded in 2023, BRTK reports.
This positive shift was highlighted by the Deputy Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Environment, who revealed the statistics for January and February 2024. According to their findings, the average occupancy rate across tourist facilities in the TRNC reached 31.3%, a notable jump from the 24.5% reported during the same period last year.
Analysing the data further, the occupancy rate for foreign tourists saw a remarkable 41.06% increase compared to 2023, with overnight stays climbing by 35.6%. The total number of guests, including both Turkish and foreign nationals, accommodated in tourist facilities during the first two months of 2024 amounted to 167,413—a significant uptick from the 118,688 recorded during the same period in 2023.
Delving deeper into the demographics, the report revealed a substantial 52% increase in Turkish nationals staying in hotels during the two-month period, reaching 140,465 in 2024. Meanwhile, the growth in the number of foreign nationals was more moderate, with only a 2.31% uptick compared to 2023. Specifically, while 26,336 foreign nationals stayed in hotels during the first two months of 2023, this number rose to 26,948 in 2024.
Evidence for this positive trend was further demonstrated by the increase in overnight stays during January and February 2024, with the total number of overnight stays by foreign tourists surging by 35% to reach 459,056, compared to figures from 2023.
