Feature photo (Escape Beach) courtesy of Jean Clark –
What with the world’s current financial ‘crisis’ and the wobbly euro, North Cyprus might just be the perfect place to come for your holidays this year. For savvy holidaymakers eager to make the most of their precious pounds, it is definitely a place well worth considering.
For those of you who don’t know, North Cyprus is not part of the eurozone (yet!), even though it’s just a short hop from most European countries which use the euro as their currency – therefore it’s not suffering the same problems as other typical holiday destinations such as Spain, which are caught up with bad exchange rates and rising prices. You will find that prices are always quoted in pounds sterling here in North Cyprus, so people who are looking for holidays that can be bought and paid for in their own currency could benefit and get a much better deal for their money.
With this in mind, the tourism industry here seems to be getting on board and offering some really good package deals to tempt tourists for 2012. Advertising and marketing campaigns have started, cleverly tailored to push North Cyprus’s ‘non-euro’ status, and with the holiday season approaching, bookings have already increased on last year with people booking early to give themselves something to look forward to, as well as getting some bargains in the process!
Another factor is that North Cyprus is still relatively underdeveloped and can offer some wonderful scenery and beaches as well as some quality hotel establishments for earnest holidaymakers to enjoy. From 5 star hotels and resorts with all the trimmings and facilities you could wish for, down to the smaller family run hotels and holiday villages, holidaymakers can literally take their pick of great places to stay to match a budget that suits.
You can take a spa holiday with a wealth of 5 star hotels to tempt you with their 
sumptuous offerings; you can take a complete break from the hubbub of daily life and stay in a traditional Cypriot village to sample the local life and its delights. You can go mad on an activity holiday and spend your time sailing, cycling and paragliding – amongst plenty of other activities available here. So in other words, there is plenty to do and see and you won’t be disappointed whatever your preference for a holiday type.
North Cyprus still holds its charm with culture steeped in history, so even if you are not interested in spending your days splashing about in the sea and sunbathing, you can travel from east to west to experience the island’s historical past with castles, ancient ruins and fascinating sights of which there are an abundance.
When you have tired yourselves out from sunbathing or sightseeing all day and feel the need for a good meal there are plenty of different cuisines to try, from traditional Turkish Cypriot cuisine, offering a host of different meze, meat and fish dishes all freshly prepared with 
their own unique taste. You can also partake of other international and European delights too, so many in fact that rest assured, you can try something different every night of the week during your holiday!
Tourist agencies are gaining confidence in the island too, with most expressing positive outlooks for the number of tourists who will be visiting North Cyprus in 2012, with estimates that many hotels will be operating at between 80-100 percent occupancy come summer time.
Some agencies at the time of writing were offering a week at a 4 star hotel, including all flights, airport transfers, half board and all taxes for £238 per person, which we thought was actually really very good value! They had some additional deals, with discounts applicable if packages are booked by a certain date, some upgrades to half board, and some even had free hire car which is sure to tempt! If you don’t want to take advantage of a full package deal, then agencies can cater for flights and/or hotel bookings only too.
An additional benefit is the beginning of new flights from European countries such as Italy and also Sweden, giving incentives for more tourists to visit North Cyprus. Additional destination points are being added in Germany too, a nation which has taken North Cyprus to its heart for many years now.
All looks rosy for TRNC in 2012, so why not come and experience some traditional Turkish Cypriot style hospitality – one thing is for sure, you will have a great holiday here – if it’s just the sun and sea you want then there is plenty of it, but if you want to explore and sightsee then there is also plenty of that too!
