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Nicosia - Bailed-out Cyprus has recorded its best ever tourist arrivals figures for the month of May, tourism officials said on Friday.
The state-run Cyprus Tourism Organisation said ion a statement the 364 943 tourists who arrived on the eastern Mediterranean island in May were the "highest ever recorded" for that month.
In May there was an 18.7% hike in arrivals compared with the same month in 2015 when 307 449 arrived, indicating that the economy is on an upward curve, official data showed.
Tourists from Britain - the island's largest holiday market - increased 4.5% to 129 765, while from second largest market Russia there was a jump of 51.4% to 107 730.
On the downside, tourism from Norway dipped 20.5% in May.
For the first five months, arrivals rose 20.5% to 842 126 from 698 932 last year.
Tourist arrivals hit a 14-year high in 2015 with 2.65 million, but this year industry officials are expecting an even higher total.
Cyprus is seen as a safe family destination in a turbulent region.
Last year, arrivals rose 8.9% from 2.44 million in 2014, the best since the previous record of 2.69 in 2001.
There was also a 4.4% hike in tourism revenue in 2015, the best since 2001.
Following a 10-billion-euro international rescue package to save a crumbling economy and insolvent banks in March 2013, Cyprus returned to growth in 2015 after nearly four years of recession.
Tourism income accounts for around 12% of the EU state's GDP and is credited with ensuring that Nicosia did not suffer double-digit recession post-bailout as initially feared.
