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them stayed in Hotel accommodation 74 . Of the two million arrivais in 1992, 39%
stayed in Ayia Napa and Paralimni 75
alone, exceeding (in that year, and in the
"Government controlied" part of the Famagusta région alone) the total number of
(third country) foreign tourists who have ever visited northern Cyprus since the de
facto partition of 1974. The beaches and historié sights around Famagusta, what the
UN described as "destination-rich environs" revealing "major potential in terms of
its sites of historical interest, its excellent beaches and an environment that has
largely been spared over-development" 76 , lay within easy reach of this huge
potential market. Underlying the discrepancy between potentials and actual
utilisation of assets, tourist accommodation in the south had a capacity of 70,000
beds in 1992, whilst in the north the figure was 7,500 and the occupancy rate was
57% and 31% respectively 77 .
While the Turkish-Cypriot leadership may have grasped the potential, tourism stili
seems to have attracted considerably less emphasis than agriculture. Yet tourism has
been by far the most important sector in terms of foreign exchange earnings (see
Figure 4.2), while it remained peripheral, at least until the mid to late 1980s, in
terms of officiai attention. The establishment by the state of Cyprus Turkish
Tourism Enterprises Ltd. meant it was able to utilise a small proportion of existing
tourist infrastructure to generate revenue, though subséquent development has been
slow. In the mid to late 1980s, the new found state enthusiasm, along with the
growing strength of Poliy Peck International, gave foreign tourism, particularly
third country tourism (i.e. non Turkish), a big boost; however, both compared with
74 RepubIic of Cyprus, 1994. Statistical Abstract 1992. Dept. of Statistics & Research, Ministry of
Finance, Nicosia. Average hôtel occupancy of ail foreign tourist, 1987 to 1990, calculated from
information given in table 6, p.69 (hôtel occupancy includes accommodation at "hôtel apartments"
which amounts to approx. a third of ail hôtel occupancy).
75 Central Bank of Cyprus, 1994. Thirteenth Animal Report of the Board of Directors. 1993. Nicosia:
Central Bank, p.22.
76 UN Security Council, 17 December 1993. op. cit. p. 16, section 21 d & p. 19 section 31
respectively.
71 ibid., p. 10, paragraph 13.
203