Cyprus tourism entered 2026 after a record 2025, when arrivals reached 4.53 million. Renewed instability in the Middle East then disrupted travel sentiment and reduced arrivals sharply in March and April.
By July, however, the picture had improved: arrivals were only 1.1% below July 2025, following a 1.7% decline in June, compared with contractions of 30.7% in March and 27.6% in April.
The rebound narrowed, but did not eliminate, the cumulative shortfall. January to July arrivals remained 8% lower year-on-year, equivalent to 193,000 fewer visitors. Israel provided the clearest support, with arrivals increasing by 8.6%. By contrast, arrivals from the UK fell by 11.1%, accounting for 90,000 of the decline recorded. Poland remained stable, while Germany, Greece and Scandinavia recorded more moderate reductions.
Based on the improvement observed through July, a continuation of the current trend – assuming arrivals during August to December remain around 1% below 2025 levels – would result in 4.32 million arrivals in 2026. This would represent a decline of 4.7% from the record 2025 level but would still leave arrivals 6.9% above 2024.
