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2024: A Pivotal Year For Tourism And Economic Growth In Cyprus

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

December 2, 2024

Deputy Minister for Tourism, Kostas Koumis, has described 2024 as a milestone year for Cyprus’s tourism sector, highlighting record-breaking achievements in visitor arrivals and revenue. His remarks, delivered on Friday, follow the release of impressive figures by the Statistical Service.

Tourism Reaches New Heights

Koumis expressed satisfaction with the sector’s recovery, noting that arrivals and revenue have returned to, and even exceeded pre-pandemic levels. According to the Deputy Ministry, revenue from January to September 2024 rose by 31.1% compared to 2022 and 15.3% compared to 2019. Arrivals for the January–October period increased by 4.6% from 2023, and 26.7% from 2022, and even surpassed 2019’s figures by 0.8%.

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Additionally, Koumis pointed out that per capita expenditure remains steady, reflecting sustained economic benefits from tourism. Looking ahead to 2025, the ministry’s strategy prioritises investment in rural tourism, environmental preservation, and community-driven benefits.

Resilient Sector and Strategic Success

The Deputy Ministry credited the robust performance to effective market-targeting decisions and the resilience of the tourism sector. Koumis emphasised that Cyprus’s approach to diversifying its tourism offerings and focusing on quality experiences has yielded significant results.

Economic Highlights: Fiscal Surplus and Revenue Growth

Cyprus’s broader economic performance in 2024 also stands out. Preliminary data from the Statistical Service reveals a surplus of €1.43 billion (4.2% of GDP) for January–October, up from €664.8 million (2.1% of GDP) during the same period in 2023.

Revenue Growth

Total Revenue: Increased by 6.6%, reaching €11.69 billion.
Taxes on Production and Imports: Grew by 6.2%, with net VAT revenue rising 7.6%.
Income and Wealth Taxes: Surged by 16%, amounting to €2.9 billion.
Revenue from Goods and Services: Jumped by 29.9%, reaching €822.7 million.

While some areas, such as social benefits and employee compensation, saw increases, the overall fiscal picture remains positive, driven by disciplined spending and strong revenue growth.

Looking Forward

With record-breaking tourism figures and a strong fiscal position, Cyprus is well-positioned for sustainable economic growth. Investments in rural development, community benefits, and environmental sustainability ensure that both the tourism sector and the wider economy will continue to thrive in the years ahead.

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Rolls-Royce Raises Guidance As Defense And Power Systems Drive Growth

Rolls-Royce raised its full-year profit and cash flow guidance after reporting stronger-than-expected first-half results, supported by growth across its civil aerospace, defense and power systems businesses.

Underlying operating profit rose 46% year on year to £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in the first six months of 2026, while revenue increased more than 24% to £11.3 billion.

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The company now expects full-year underlying operating profit of £4.7 billion to £4.9 billion, up from previous guidance of £4 billion to £4.2 billion. It also raised its free cash flow forecast to £3.8 billion to £4 billion, compared with £3.6 billion to £3.8 billion previously.

Shares rose as much as 6% in early trading before paring gains to trade about 4% higher.

Data Center Demand Supports Power Systems

Chief Financial Officer Helen McCabe told CNBC that orders in Rolls-Royce’s data center power business increased by more than 50% in the first half as operators invested in backup and on-site power systems.

The company has benefited from growing demand for power infrastructure as data center operators expand capacity.

Defense Spending Provides Additional Support

McCabe also said Rolls-Royce expects to benefit from higher defense spending in the U.K. and across NATO countries. She cited the U.K.’s long-term defense investment plan, which provides funding visibility through 2030 and beyond.

“We’ve had very positive initial conversations with the new government,” McCabe said, adding that the company supports its focus on growth, defense and industrial manufacturing.

Turnaround Continues

Chief Executive Tufan Erginbilgic said the company’s transformation strategy continued to deliver results. “Our transformation continues to deliver,” he said in a statement. “We have unlocked new growth opportunities across the Group.”