Hospitality and cheap flights the key to Cyprus, says expert

Cyprus has been in the news often enough for its property in recent times, with prices rising and British investors to the fore. The connections between Britain and Cyprus are clear enough, with the island being in the Commonwealth, using right-hand drive and being a popular ex-pat destination with English widely spoken.

Yet it is the local character, rather than anything specifically British, which is at the head of the list of attractions, according to James Dearsley, European sales manager for property firm Atlas International.

He said: "The hospitality of Cyprus is one of its most endearing traits. The attitude of the people of Cyprus towards families is fantastic and this, mixed with their attitude towards food, is even better."

This cultural element is perhaps underestimated. Any tourist appraisal of Cyprus Property - the kind of thing which might first attract the people whom a buy-to-let investor may rent a Cyprus property to - will tend to focus on the historical nature of the island. For example, the culture section on the Visit Cyprus website lists the many cultures and historical influences which have shaped the history of the island, illustrated with pictures of temples, monuments and historic walls.

Perhaps, then, the welcome that visitors to Cyprus will receive from the locals will add a pleasant extra surprise to the historical elements of culture. But for Mr Dearsley, there is no doubt what the chief attraction is.

Of course, those looking to invest in property will also be thinking of the climatic and scenic appeal of the country, set as it is in a warm, sunny climate in the Mediterranean. Mr Dearsley described the scenery of Cyprus as "something else", adding: "Forty five minutes from the fantastic beaches are the mountains. The true ability to ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon just adds so much to the capability of anyone looking at property to purchase."

All this and the planes are cheap, he added, noting that: "Flights are now more often and are getting cheaper all the time," partly through easyJet's policy of increasing flights after taking over GB Airways.

For all this, of course, many investors will still want to know whether Cyprus is a good place to invest in the current global economic climate. Vanessa Bird, of financial services company Baydonhill, has predicted that this will indeed be the case in Cyprus, along with countries such as Portugal and France this year.

Such a view was also expressed by Easier.com last year, which predicted that the property price growth of Cyprus would continue this year, which has started with another historic event, albeit not one likely to create any monuments or walls to visit. But eurozone membership may be a major boost for the country by bringing it further into the European mainstream and encouraging investors with the prospect of sharing in the economic stability of the zone.

Thus while those looking at the Visit Cyprus website may be attracted by the bricks and mortar of previous millennia, it is the property of today which may carry on being attractive amid the hospitable people of this island in the sun.