On the Beach: Cyprus Holidays Attract UK Tourists in Droves

MANCHESTER, England, June 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Holidays to Cyprus this April proved to be very popular with British tourists; On the Beach says Brits are drawn here by the nightlife, beaches and historical attractions.

Statistics from the Cypriot Government show that holidays to Cyprus have become even more popular with British tourists. Their figures documented a significant rise in holiday visits to the island this April. On the Beach, (http://www.onthebeach.co.uk/) a leading UK online travel agency, says that this owes to the nation's great beaches as well as its famous nightlife and historical sites.

Holidays to Cyprus (http://www.onthebeach.co.uk/destinations/cyprus) have proven popular with tourists from all over the world, as almost 200,000 people visited in April - this represents a significant increase over the same month in 2009 which saw just over 180,000 holidaymakers arrive. Arrivals in April 2010 dipped to below 140,000 though this is largely attributable to the ash cloud which severely disrupted European travel during that period. According to the report the majority of visitors in 2011 came from the UK, Germany and Russia.

Alistair Daly, Marketing Director of On the Beach, says: "During the winter and spring holiday seasons we saw a large number of Brits book holidays to Cyprus. (http://www.visitcyprus.com/wps/portal) This destination is always quite popular, yet it has certainly seen a surge in 2011, which we expect to continue throughout the summer. Indeed, our customers continue to place Cyprus at the top of their wish lists."

According to Daly the destination's appeal owes to several factors. He states: "Trips to Cyprus have a lot in common with holidays to Ibiza (http://www.onthebeach.co.uk/destinations/balearics/ibiza) and other developed tourist spots: indeed, it has great nightlife alongside truly lovely beaches. What perhaps sets this island nation apart is its amazing collection of ancient Roman and Stone Age ruins which are an excellent way to spice up your time at the beach."

About On the Beach:

Founded in 1995, On the Beach is one of the UK's leading online travel agencies carrying over 500,000 passengers every year (ABTA K0813). On the Beach provides value for money flights and hotels in the world's most popular beach holiday destinations. On the Beach provides consumers with a huge selection of travel products, from 50 million available seats, more than 30,000 hotels around the world, insurance and in-resort transfer partners. Customers can book online at http://www.onthebeach.co.uk or by calling the UK call centre on 0870 606 07 08.

As the expert provider of DIY beach holidays to the UK market, On the Beach is so confident of its industry leading position, it offers a market leading price match guarantee for its customers. On the Beach will refund the difference if a lower price is found for the same product on any UK website*.

*Offer applies to exact product match