Cyprus’ tourism revenue fell sharply in March 2026, dropping by 33.8 per cent year-on-year to €85.6 million, according to a report from the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat).

The decline compares with €129.4m recorded in March 2025, offering the first clear indication of the impact from the escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

For the January to March 2026 period, total tourism revenue is estimated at €245.5m, down from €278.3m in the same period of 2025.

This represents an 11.8 per cent decrease for the first quarter of the year, reversing the positive momentum recorded in January and February.

The figures are based on the passenger survey conducted by Cystat, which tracks spending patterns among visitors departing from Larnaca and Paphos airports.

The March data also showed a fall in average tourist spending, suggesting that the decline was driven not only by weaker arrivals but also by softer expenditure among those who did travel.

Specifically, the average expenditure per tourist stood at €615.27 in March 2026, compared with €644.65 in March 2025, recording a 4.6 per cent decrease.

At the same time, average daily spending fell more sharply, reaching €72.38 per day, compared with €89.53 in March 2025.

Tourists stayed longer on average, with the average length of stay rising to 8.5 days, from 7.2 days a year earlier.

However, the longer stays were not enough to offset the steep drop in visitor numbers and the decline in daily spending.

Indeed, tourist arrivals fell to 139,198 in March 2026, compared with 200,736 in the same month of 2025, confirming the scale of the downturn.

The United Kingdom remained Cyprus’ largest tourist market in March 2026, accounting for 32.9 per cent of total visitors.

Even so, British arrivals dropped to 45,763, from 61,545 in March 2025.

British tourists spent an average of €669.43 per person and €69.01 per day, compared with €694.08 per person and €78.87 per day a year earlier.

Their average stay, however, increased to 9.7 days, from 8.8 days in March 2025.

Poland ranked as the second largest market, representing 12.6 per cent of total tourists.

Arrivals from Poland stood at 17,604, compared with 19,827 in March 2025, while Polish tourists spent an average of €401.76 per person.

Although spending per person was down from €433.59 a year earlier, average daily spending rose to €81.99, from €76.07 in March 2025.

This was partly due to a shorter average stay, which fell to 4.9 days, from 5.7 days a year earlier.

Germany followed as the third largest market, accounting for 10.8 per cent of visitors.

German arrivals reached 14,999 in March 2026, compared with 16,084 in March 2025.

Tourists from Germany spent an average of €724.25 per person and €77.88 per day, down from €810.59 per person and €97.66 per day in the same month last year.

Their average stay, meanwhile, increased to 9.3 days, from 8.3 days in March 2025.

Greece also remained an important source market, although arrivals fell to 9,009 in March 2026, compared with 13,053 a year earlier.

Greek tourists spent an average of €470.47 per person and €58.81 per day, while their average stay rose to 8 days, from 5.5 days in March 2025.

By contrast, Austria was among the few markets to record an increase in arrivals, with 3,617 tourists in March 2026, compared with 2,841 in March 2025.

Austrian tourists also recorded one of the highest spending levels, at €763.74 per person and €117.50 per day.

Sweden also stood out in terms of expenditure, with tourists spending an average of €834.12 per person and €84.25 per day, while their average stay reached 9.9 days.

However, Swedish arrivals still fell to 2,557, from 3,449 in March 2025.

Elsewhere, arrivals from France dropped to 1,782, from 3,367 a year earlier, with average spending falling to €571.28 per person and €68.83 per day.

Italy also recorded a decrease, with arrivals reaching 1,416, compared with 1,987 in March 2025.

Italian tourists spent an average of €445.63 per person and €81.02 per day.

The sharpest change, however, was recorded in the Israeli market, where arrivals collapsed to 1,537, from 28,353 in March 2025.

This fall is particularly significant given Israel’s importance as a high-spending market for Cyprus tourism.

In March 2025, Israeli tourists spent an average of €661.94 per person and €194.69 per day, one of the highest levels among Cyprus’ main source markets.

By contrast, the March 2026 data for Israel was marked as having low reliability, reflecting the much smaller sample following the steep drop in arrivals.

Finally, Lebanon also recorded a decline, with arrivals falling to 1,193, from 2,042 in March 2025.

In March 2025, Lebanese tourists had spent an average of €975.94 per person and €154.91 per day, making the fall in this market another important factor in the overall revenue picture.