Most of the tourist arrivals were from Western Europe with 326,920 tourists visiting in the first eight months of this year recording a 14.9 percent increase over corresponding 2013 figures. For the month of August, 48,253 tourists arrived in the island, 11.0% more than August 2013.

Arrivals from North America rose by 11.1 percent with 48,787 visitors for the first eight months in the year while arrivals from Eastern Europe increased 42.8 percent with the arrival of 99,882 tourists. Most of the arrivals from Eastern Europe were from Russia with 44,627arrivals representing a 68.8 percent increase.

Tourist arrivals from Middle East rose in August by 16.0 percent to18,823 and for the year arrivals increased by 14.0 percent to 63,424.

In the first eight months of the year 183,698 East Asians arrived in the island, an increase of 51.4 percent. Number of Chinese tourists arriving in the island rose by an impressive 141.5 percent to reach 81,682.

Arrivals from South Asia, the other region from where most of the tourists come, increased by 16.5 percent in the year with 229,796 tourists flocking to the island while, arrivals from India increased 20.0 percent to 151,427 in the first eight months of 2014.

In the first eight months of the year, 38,983 Australians arrived in the country, a 9.9 percent increase from the previous year.
(ST/KH)