The Ministry of Tourism on Monday announced the occupancy rate figures at hotels for the first 11 months of 2022 from January to November.

According to the figures released by the Department of Tourism and Planning, the occupancy rate at hotels stood just below 50 per cent at 43.9.

Despite the relatively lower figures, there was still a significant rise in numbers compared to the same period in 2021 which had remained at 27.6 per cent due mainly to the Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in travel restrictions.

As a result of the rebound, there was a 210.9 per cent rise in the number of foreign tourists visiting the TRNC and a 235.4 per cent increase compared to the previous year for overnight stays bringing the total for the first 11 months to 3,433,981.

The number of Turkish nationals visiting the TRNC also rose by 180.4 per cent compared to 2021, reaching 647.148.