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After the summer of 1974, the Turkish-Cypriot administration gained control of
55% of the island's coast line, "the most valuable naturai resource of Cyprus" 53 , an
alleged 82% of tourist accommodation and 96% of hotels under construction 54 . The
new Turkish-Cypriot administration took steps to re-establish the industry in the
région by expropriating abandoned Greek-Cypriot property. In the first week of
February 1975, Ercan airport began operating propeller aircraft (Fokker 28's) 55
to
destinations in Turkey. That year Ministry of Tourism statistics indicate that 28% of
the 1973 bed capacity was available to the industry. By 1980 bed capacity had risen
to 34% of the 1973 capacity 56 . The relatively small Turkish-Cypriot population
lacked both the skills and the capital to utilise the naturai resources and the tourist
infrastructure that generated income in the north of Cyprus prior to the summer of
1974. Cyprus Turkish Tourism Enterprises Ltd. (CTTE) was set up to manage the
former Greelc and foreign tourist infrastructure, using Turkish capital and knowhow
and concentrating its resources on the larger hotels, such as the Salamis Bay
and the Kyrenia Marina, which minimised transitional costs, while it maximised bed
capacity. Two joint ventures with the private sector were also embarked upon,
whilst appropriately skilled London Turkish-Cypriots were encouraged to return to
lease smaller hotels and boarding houses from Turkish-Cypriot authorities and
Evkaf. In 1986, the state's CTTE stili controlied over two thirds of ali open tourist
facilities in the north 57 , although by 1992 only 17 of the 132 star rated hotels and
hotel apartments, abandoned by Greek-Cypriots in 1974, were being used for
purposes of tourism. The vast majority of the newest and most developed tourist
53 UN Security Council, 21 August 1992. "Report of Secretary General on the Mission of Good
Offices in Cyprus", New York, S/24472, paragraph 25, p.5.
54 Lockhart, D. G. 1993. "Tourism and Politics: the example of Cyprus", in Lockhart D.G., D.
Drakakis-Smith and Schembri J. (eds.) The Development Process in Small Island States. London:
Rouledge, p.236.
55 Subsequently these were upgraded to DC9 jets, then Boeing 727's and currently they are operating
the latter with A310 Airbuses.
56 Martin J. 1993. "The History and Development of Tourism", in Dodd 1993. op. cit., pp. 345-
346.
57 01gun M.E. 1993. "Economic Overview", in Dodd 1993. op. cit., p.322.
196