In July 2026, Cyprus recorded 582,754 tourist arrivals, a 1.1% decrease from 589,116 arrivals in July 2025, according to official figures from the Cyprus Statistical Service (CySTAT) published on 18 August. For the first seven months of 2026, total arrivals reached 2,238,769, marking an 8% decline compared to the 2,432,129 arrivals in January–July 2025.
When compared to earlier years, January to July 2026 arrivals reflected an increase of 1.6% over 2024 and 4.7% over 2023, with a significant rise of 33.6% versus 2022. These statistics indicate a gradual recovery spreading over multiple years despite the recent yearly decrease.
Tourist Origins and Travel Purposes in July 2026
Tourists from
the United Kingdom constituted the largest share of July arrivals, accounting for 31.9% (185,981 tourists). Visitors from Israel made up 20.5% (119,293), followed by Poland at 6.3% (36,912), Germany at 3.7% (21,338), and Sweden at 3.4% (19,899).
Holiday travel dominated the purpose of visits, comprising 85.2% of tourists in July 2026. Visiting friends or relatives accounted for 11.7%, while business travel represented 3.0%. These percentages showed minor variation compared to July 2025 figures of 85.5%, 11.6%, and 2.8% respectively.
In July 2026, Cypriot residents made 210,047 outbound trips, a 12.3% increase from 186,987 trips in July 2025. Greece was the
primary destination for returning residents, comprising 38.5% (80,775). Other notable return countries included the United Kingdom (7.1%, 14,832), Italy (6.0%, 12,545), Poland (3.5%, 7,412), and Germany (3.5%, 7,330).
Among travel purposes for Cypriot residents abroad, holidays accounted for 75.2%, business 13.7%, study 10.3%, and other reasons 0.7% in July 2026.
Government Response and Market Monitoring
Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis described the minor July decline as evidence of the sector’s resilience. He emphasized that tourism has only fallen by 1.1% compared to the previous year during July, with the January–July drop maintained below 10% at 8%. Koumis noted the growth compared to earlier years,
highlighting the industry’s recovery trend over time.
Koumis stated the government and Deputy Ministry are closely monitoring each geographic market individually, factoring in international geopolitical developments to guide their approach. He said, “We continue to focus on the rest of the year, but also on the coming years, aiming for the sustainable development of our country’s tourism.” This underscores the focus on long-term stability amid global uncertainties.
