Surge in Israeli and UK arrivals lifts tourism income

Tourism revenue in Cyprus reached €69.2 million in January 2025, marking a substantial increase from the year before, according to a report released on Friday by the state statistical service.

This represents a 53.1 per cent year-on-year rise when compared to January 2024, when the same figure stood at €45.2 million.

The rise in income was largely driven by a significant surge in tourist arrivals from Israel and the United Kingdom, which were identified as the key contributors to the overall boost.

Moreover, the report showed that per capita spending by tourists also rose markedly.

In January 2025, visitors spent an average of €617.65 each, compared to €513.52 in the same month the previous year—an increase of 20.3 per cent.

Israeli tourists, who represented the largest share of the market in January 2025 with 21.1 per cent of total arrivals, spent an average of €176.13 per day, up from €118.34 in January 2024.

British tourists—the second-largest group at 16.7 per cent—spent an average of €57.75 daily, up from €52.73 in the same period last year.

Polish visitors, the third-largest market accounting for 14.1 per cent of total tourists, maintained a similar level of spending, with daily expenditures averaging €69.97, nearly unchanged from last year.

The increase in revenue was also supported by a notable rise in overall arrivals, which grew by approximately 27.5 per cent in January 2025.

Particularly strong growth was recorded in arrivals from Israel, which more than doubled from 9,148 in January 2024 to 23,704 in January 2025—a jump of 159 per cent.

Arrivals from the United Kingdom rose from 16,321 to 18,701, an increase of 14.6 per cent, while visitors from Germany increased from 2,952 to 4,114, a 39.4 per cent rise.