Political scenarios: the future of the North Cyprus tourism industry

Abstract

The North Cyprus tourism industry has been sensitive to the political instability on the island, which has arisen from the political problems between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots. Economic integration with Turkey and federation with the Greek Cypriots are considered to be two alternative political solutions. This paper evaluates the possible impacts of these two political scenarios on the tourism industry of North Cyprus by using semi‐structured interviews with experts and senior managers. Findings suggest that although economic integration has already been implemented to an extent, it has not contributed to the development of the tourism industry of North Cyprus as hoped. A federal solution to the Cyprus problem is expected to have a more favourable impact on the tourism industry of North Cyprus. Thus, long‐term benefits of the North Cyprus tourism industry lie with a federal solution to the Cyprus problem.

The impact of Turkey's economic crisis of February 2001 on the tourism industry in Northern Cyprus

“…It is important to note that the tourism industry in Northern Cyprus has been facing serious problems for many years, including seasonality, low occupancy rates, transportation difficulties, inadequate infrastructure, pollution, high prices, a shortage of qualified staff, insufficient supplementary facilities and services and poor service quality (Akis & Warner, 1994;Altinay, 2000;Lockhart, 1994). However, as stated above and discussed in several previous studies, the main barrier to sustainable tourism development in Northern Cyprus has been political uncertainty (see Altinay, 2000;Altinay et al, 2002;Clements & Georgiou, 1998;Ioannides & Apostolopoulos, 1999;Lockhart, 1994;Mansfeld & Kliot, 1996;Witt, 1991).…”

“…Thus, any fluctuations in the Turkish economy affect the economy. The major problem faced by Northern Cyprus is the continuing political uncertainty resulting from the inability to find a solution to the Cyprus problem (Altinay, Altinay, & Bicak, 2002). Like many other small island economies, it has limited natural resources and a very small internal market.…”

Politics and sustainable tourism development – Can they co-exist? Voices from North Cyprus

“…A consequence of the restricted tourism development in the north has been that the natural environment remained, for the most part, undisturbed (Altinay et al, 2002). However, the effects of political and economic semi-isolation as well as problems such as a lack of marketing in the past, shortage of qualified staff, erratic patterns of tourist arrivals and indirect flights (Altinay et al, 2002), have limited the development of tourism.…”

“…High dependence on Turkish tourists causes problems such as short average length of stay and a reduced flow of foreign currency. Turkish clientele constitute the majority of casino gamblers (Altinay, Altinay, & Bicak, 2002) especially since the Republic of Turkey banned casinos in 1998. Economic and political crises in and around Turkey have influenced the tourism industry in North Cyprus (Okumus, Altinay, & Roper, 2005).…”

“…However, the effects of political and economic semi-isolation as well as problems such as a lack of marketing in the past, shortage of qualified staff, erratic patterns of tourist arrivals and indirect flights (Altinay et al, 2002), have limited the development of tourism. As a result, unintentionally North Cyprus has avoided the heavy concentrations of resorts that characterise many Mediterranean coastlines.…”