Cyprus is Best for Brit Investors

Channel 4's overseas property series and magazine A Place in the Sun has declared Cyprus to be the best place for Britons to invest in a foreign property…

The decision was based on a number of factors, including the current level of facilities available and the various developments lined up for future construction, reports Assetz.

For instance, Cyprus already has PGA-quality golf courses which make it easy to pitch properties located near to the golfing tourist market, a significant proportion of which comes from the US and Japan.

However, the market is set to expand still further when the next wave of new courses is developed - there are around ten that are at the planning stage, according to Travel and Tourism News Middle East.

Another facet of the island that makes it popular with sport and leisure tourists is the fact that it is possible to pursue outdoor activities there all year round because of the clement weather. The Cypriot government set out a sports tourism action plan in 2004 that provided for a range of sporting programmes across the island with the aim of promoting this aspect of the tourism industry.

Tourist office caters for everyone

However, the Cyprus Tourist Office has also given consideration to the less energetic holidaymaker, producing - free of charge - a range of maps and guides for walkers, taking in country paths, nature walks and sites of historical interest.

Indeed, history is one of the island's best assets. Standing as it does at the edge of both Europe and the Middle East, while in easy reach of North Africa, many cultures have passed through Cyprus over the years and left their mark.

Many of the 2.4 million visitors that Cyprus attracts each year come to visit the legacy of the island's rich cultural heritage. Ancient Greek monuments such as the Temple of Apollo are juxtaposed with remnants of a Crusader presence.

The immense Kolossi Castle, for instance, was a stronghold of the legendary Templar Knights and was once occupied by Richard the Lionheart.

Flight routes increasing all the time

Tourist numbers may be further boosted in the coming years by the new airport terminal to built at Paphos, one of the more popular destinations on the island, plus news that budget airlines are increasingly opening up routes to Cyprus, bringing the cost of a holiday there down.

The latest budget operator to add a Cypriot route is Monarch, which will be running three flights a week from Luton to Larnaca.