Cyprus’ tourist accommodation sector continued to rely heavily on foreign visitors in the first half of 2025, according to Eurostat data published on Thursday.

The figures were released to mark World Tourism Day, which will be celebrated on September 27.

Across the European Union, overnight stays in tourist accommodation reached 1.279 billion between January and June, up 2.3 per cent from 1.249 billion in the same period of 2024.  

At country level, Malta (12.7 per cent), Latvia (8.6 per cent) and Poland (8.5 per cent) recorded the strongest increases, while Ireland posted a fall of 3.5 per cent.  

By contrast, Germany (0.2 per cent), Sweden (0.5 per cent) and Belgium (0.9 per cent) reported only marginal growth. 

In Cyprus, overnight stays rose by 3.7 per cent. However, the sector was overwhelmingly supported by foreigners, who accounted for 93.1 per cent of total overnight stays, the second-highest share in the EU after Malta (93.6 per cent).  

Croatia followed with 87.6 per cent, while foreign guests made up less than one-fifth of the total in Germany (18.5 per cent), Poland (19.2 per cent) and Romania (20.2 per cent). 

Overnight stays by foreigners across the EU increased by 3.1 per cent compared with the first half of 2024, a stronger rise than domestic stays, which grew by 1.7 per cent.  

In Cyprus, foreign stays climbed by 4 per cent, while those by residents fell by 1.1 per cent. 

The largest increases in foreign overnight stays were recorded in Malta (13 per cent), Latvia (12.8 per cent) and Finland (12.3 per cent).  

In contrast, Ireland (-6.1 per cent), Sweden (-5.3 per cent) and Germany (-2.9 per cent) saw declines.