The Cyprus Tourism Organisation Shares Key Stats Around Its Sold-Out Halloumi Pop-Up Initiative.
Over the past two weeks, hallou-mania struck London as people flooded to the Cyprus Tourism Organisation’s (CTO) halloumi-themed pop-up, “Say Hallou-mi to Cyprus” at 100 Hoxton. The pop-up, which featured halloumi in every dish on the menu – including a dessert of halloumi ice cream – was a sell-out, despite being extended in response to unprecedented demand.
The pop-up was launched to showcase Cyprus’ national cheese and entice people to visit the island – and people flooded to get a taste of the exclusive dishes before it closed for good on 26th November. Here, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) shares some key stats around its halloumi-filled event:
- Two weeks
- First week sold out in less than five days
- 1,500+ bookings
- 4,750 dishes served
- 188 kilos of halloumi consumed
- 1,150 halloumi fingers eaten
- 1,900 bowls of halloumi ice cream devoured
- & so many GRATE (sorry!) cheese puns…
The halloumi pop-up was designed to intrigue and entice people to learn more about, and visit, its home of Cyprus. So, here are a few key figures about the island:
- Over 7 million tourists visiting annually
- Over 300 days of guaranteed sunshine each year
- Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- 64 Blue Flag beaches (considered the top accolade when it comes to beach quality)
- 47 beaches now accessible to people with special needs (26 of those are fully accessible and 21 partly accessible).
- 25 per cent of the island is covered by forest
- 20,000 trees currently being planted on the island by GreenCyprusCom
- Seven wine routes and home to the world’s oldest named wine still in production: ‘Commandaria’
- Limassol is home to an 11-day wine festival
- 200km of purpose-built tracks across nearly 50 nature trails
- Mount Olympus in the Troodos Mountains is 1,952 meters
- The Paphos Forest has been a Game Protected Area since 1939
- 2017 on track to be a record-breaking year for tourism with an 9 per cent year-on-year increase in UK visitors so far (January to September)
The CTO’s UK Director, Orestis Rossides said: “We’re delighted to see such a positive response to the launch of our ‘Say Hallou-mi to Cyprus’ restaurant. Londoners clearly share our love of the Cypriot national cheese, halloumi, and we hope they might also be tempted to visit our beautiful island to learn what else Cyprus has to offer – from our legendary hospitality, rich cuisine and award-winning local wines to our glorious coastline and stunning mountain villages.”
On the continued growth in tourism to the island, he continued: “Tourism is an important sector for Cyprus and we’re proud to announce that 2017 will be another record-breaking year. Our longer-term goal is to reach six million global tourist arrivals by 2030 and we are committed to supporting this strong growth with the necessary infrastructure.”
Andrew Zilouf, Director of 100 Hoxton, said: “Halloumi – the Cypriot national cheese – has shown itself to be an extremely popular product. For us behind the bar and the kitchen we were pleased to do it justice as it works so well with a host of flavours and styles of dishes. The biggest challenge was the to make a dessert. Chef Francis did wonders to make the halloumi ice cream not only a success but one of the stars of the show. Truly halloumi’d be thy name!”
Getting there
Easyjet: operates flights to Larnaca from Gatwick Airport and to Paphos from London Gatwick and London Luton Airports with fares starting from £26.49 one way. For further information or to book please visit http://www.easyjet.com/en/cheap-flights/cyprus
Thomas Cook: operates flights from Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, London Gatwick, Newcastle and Cardiff Airports to Larnaca and Paphos with fares, including taxes, starting from £70.99 one way. For further information or to book please visit https://www.thomascookairlines.com/en/cheap-flights/cyprus/
British Airways (from Gatwick) and Jet 2 (from the North of England) will both be adding seat capacity to Cyprus next year.
Cyprus – the third largest island in the Mediterranean – attracts over two million tourists annually. Cyprus is a year-round island appealing to a wide range of personal tastes and lifestyles, from families and couples, to the most discerning of culture and nature-oriented travellers. For more information, go to www.visitcyprus.com, www.facebook.com/visitcyprus.uk or www.twitter.com/visitcyprus.
-Ends-
For further press information, please contact:
Allie Ford/Emma Arthurs/Melissa Hobson/James Brooke
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8927
E: [email protected]
About the Cyprus Tourism Organisation
Cyprus – the third largest island in the Mediterranean – attracts over two million tourists annually. Cyprus is a year-round island appealing to a wide range of personal tastes and lifestyles, from families and couples, to the most discerning of culture and nature-oriented travellers.
Tourists are attracted by the island’s legendary hospitality, glorious coastline and stunning mountain villages. There is something to suit everyone – family resorts, world class spas, golf courses, marinas, agro-tourism and food and wine trails. The active can enjoy the warm waters of Cyprus for diving and waterskiing while adventure seekers can explore the island’s beauty with trekking or bird-watching tours, while golfing enthusiasts play on award winning courses.
The island boasts the cleanest bathing waters in Europe, combined with a rich cultural heritage, a variety of agro-tourism projects and a wide choice of special interest activities.
For more information: www.visitcyprus.com
