Tourism, trade, education: just a few reasons to love Britain
By Stefanos Evripidou
(archive article - Sunday, February 13, 2005)
APART from the road signs and shop boards displayed in English and the adopted words intermittently thrown into a conversation like ‘roundabow’ (sic), ‘traffic light’ and ‘shopping’, Britain has had and continues to exert a great influence on this island.
In nearly all aspects of life in Cyprus, Britain has to a varying degree some point of influence, whether it’s tourism, trade, education, property prices or medical care.
To start with, Cyprus’ economy very much relies on its number one national product, the sun. Whether we combine it with sea and sand (and sex at least in one infamous seaside resort) or promote agro-tourism in sun-drenched fields tucked away in one of our traditional hamlets, tourism is the top earner in Cyprus.
Pledges to make Cyprus an international business, education and research centre, drawing people and money from the surrounding three continents have yet to become reality, so as ever the sun remains our most important tool.
And the people who like to enjoy those warm golden rays in Cyprus more than any other nation in the world happen to be the Brits… at least for the moment, until they get their own that is, given the recent reports on global warming and all that.
UK arrivals to Cyprus have consistently and by far remained the largest from any one country. Last year, over 1.3 million Brits visited Cyprus, counting for 56.7 per cent of total arrivals to the island (2.3 million). In 2003, when total arrivals were lower by 50,000, the Brits counted for 58.5 per cent of arrivals, with people numbers remaining steadfast at 1.3m.
In 2001, before the hard-hitting effects of ‘9/11’ shook the industry to its core, figures were at an all time high, with total arrivals at 2.7m. The UK, once again taking the lion’s share of responsibility, provided 55.1 per cent of the share, accounting for 1.5m people.
So, despite cheaper airfares for equally hot destinations throughout the EU, Cyprus remains an attractive destination for UK holidaymakers.
Now, then how about trade? Britain remains our biggest export market worldwide. Trade figures given by the British High Commission and Cyprus Statistical Service differ substantially but both reveal the importance of Britain as a trading partner.
According to the Statistical Service, in 2003, UK imports equalled £191.8 million out of a total £2.3 billion worth of imports to the island. This made the UK the third biggest importer to Cyprus, after Greece with £276m imports and Italy, £227m.
However, the UK was our biggest export market that year. Cyprus exported £152.4m worth of goods to the UK in 2003 out of a total £476.8m exported worldwide. Exports to Greece totalled £44m the same year.
According to the British Customs and Excise figures, British exports to Cyprus were valued at £315.9m sterling in 2003 (only including trade in goods not services). The top five exports to Cyprus were: road vehicles, articles of apparel and clothing accessories, power generating machinery and equipment, medicinal and pharmaceutical products, and other transport equipment.
In 2003, Cyprus ranked 51 in terms of British worldwide exports... not exactly the most important trading nation for Britain.
According to the same 2003 figures, Cypriot exports to the UK were valued at £255.7m sterling. The top five Cypriot exports to the UK were: road vehicles (Cypriot businesses import second hand Japanese vehicles and re-export them to the UK), other transport equipment, power generating machinery and equipment, articles of apparel and clothing accessories, and vegetables and fruit.
In 2004, figures were less encouraging, based on UK Customs and Excise figures.
For the first 10 months of 2004 (Jan-Oct), UK exports to Cyprus were valued at £261m Sterling, showing a decrease of 1.9 per cent compared to the same period in 2003. Cyprus exports to the UK between January and October were valued at £154m sterling, showing a huge drop of 28.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2003.
When viewing this drop, EU enlargement with 10 new member states, including Cyprus, on May 1 2004 must be taken into account.
That’s trade and tourism out the way. Now then, how attractive is Old Blighty for Cypriots?
Well, Greece remains the number one destination but in the last four years a steady 13 per cent of Cypriots going abroad visit the UK. Last year, 111,311 Cypriots went to the UK out of a total 859,454 travelling Cypriots.
It may not be the first holiday destination for Cypriots, but Britain is certainly high on the list when it comes to health and education. The Health Ministry sent 635 patients to the UK for treatment in 2003. In the first 10 months of 2004, another 567 were sent. The UK is one of the top three treatment centres for Cyprus, along with Greece and Israel. The figures only apply to ministry approved medical trips. A substantial number of people who can afford it very often go to the UK for medical purposes on their own expense, including members of high society and our esteemed politicians.
For years, parents have been spending thousands to send their kids to the UK for higher education. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, 3,775 Cypriot students studied in the UK during the 2002/2003 academic year. British education is not just restricted to Britain as every major city in Cyprus has at least one private secondary and private school offering British curriculum education.
Children educated in government schools are taught English, while the majority take extra lessons in the afternoon to learn the language. Unless the island was to be reunited, English remains the second language of the Cyprus Republic.
Finally, migration trends between Britain and Cyprus show the strong link between the two countries. There are no official statistics available on the number of Cypriots living in Britain, but it is well known that thousands emigrated there for economic reasons in the 1950s and 60s while a great deal left Cyprus for Britain after the Turkish invasion in 1974.
According to one UK official, London is the largest Cypriot city in the world with some 300,000 Cypriots living in the British capital. Migration has not been one-sided though, as a population survey in 2001 revealed that 11,871 British nationals lived in Cyprus. More recently, statistics compiled for the European Parliament elections last June revealed that 27,000 Brits live on the island, counting for 65 per cent of EU nationals residing in Cyprus. Greek nationals trail behind with just 12,000 located here.
EU accession along with the rights and obligations that come with it has made Cyprus a very attractive place for British retirees and young couples seeking a new life away from the hustle and bustle of urban, over-populated cities.
In fact, this desire to relocate here has led to a scurry of development in the housing industry. Developers have been desperate to buy up land and build properties to fill this new market, driving property prices sky high, particularly near the coast.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
