Arrivals to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) via air and sea have increased by 371.1 per cent compared to the previous year, according to a report published by the Tourism Planning Department.

The lifting of Covid-19 entry restrictions in the country has played an important role in the increase in arrivals.

The Tourism Planning Department which operates under the Deputy Prime Ministry, Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment announced in its latest report that arrivals in the country increased by 371.1 per cent in the first 8 months compared to the same period the previous year.

According to the report, the total number of arrivals in 2021 remained at 173,315 due to Covid-19 restrictions but rose to 816,408 in 2022, reaching post pandemic levels.

The number of arrivals from Türkiye reached 75 per cent of the arrivals recorded in 2019, the figures revealed.

Arrivals from the UK topped the list of foreign arrivals with 24, 385, followed by Iran with 19, 543, Germany with 16, 389 and Russia with 16, 101.

Arrivals from the south also increased significantly following the lifting of restrictions at the crossing points in 2022 reaching 3,047, 349.

An increase in the number of Greek Cypriots crossing over to the TRNC also increased in 2022, particularly due to the drop in the value of the Turkish Lira against foreign currencies.

A total of 1,882,474 Greek Cypriots crossed over to the TRNC between January-August, 2022, the report said.