Statistics for the first quarter of the year promise a particularly strong year and show that tourism is picking up from where it left off last year, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis said in a written statement on Thursday, noting that the first quarter of the year recorded a 7.5% increase compared to the previous year. Koumis said it is important that the main markets continue to record a steady upward trend, while describing as encouraging the fact that important markets, such as the Swedish, the Dutch and the Romanian ones, are recording significant growth. "What is recorded by the Statistical Service is not surprising for us at the Deputy Ministry of Tourism. They are figures that we had predicted after our meetings at the World Travel Market in November 2024 and the ITB Berlin tourism fair in March 2025," he continues. "We continue from where we left off last year, while remaining committed to other objectives, which are none other than extending the tourist season and highlighting new elements that can be transformed into comparative advantages of our country," he notes. In relation to the Easter holidays, Koumis adds that the traffic so far is increased, as for the first fortnight of April it is up by 15%, while at the same time expressing satisfaction about the fact that the country's hotel industry has reopened almost to full extent. CNA/KA/EPH/2025 ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY