Cyprus’ tourism downturn is expected to ease further by the end of the year, with arrivals forecast to finish around 5 per cent below 2025 levels, Tourism Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis said at the weekend. 

The latest figures from the statistical service (Cystat) show that tourist arrivals reached 2,820,649 between January and August, down 7 per cent from the same period last year, improving from an 8 per cent decline during the first seven months. 

Speaking during the inauguration of new cycling routes in Troulloi, Aradippou, Koumis said the year had begun on a particularly strong footing, with January and February both setting records for their respective months. 

“We had the best January and the best February we have ever had,” he said, before pointing to the sharp change that followed in March as disruption in the Middle East hit air travel to and from Cyprus. 

According to Koumis, around 70 per cent of flight programmes serving Cyprus were cancelled indefinitely overnight, forcing the government and the Tourism Deputy Ministry to deal with what he described as one of the most serious crises the sector had faced in decades. 

March and April proved especially difficult, he said, as uncertainty over flights weighed heavily on visitor numbers and left the industry facing a markedly weaker spring. 

Much of the government’s effort then shifted towards preserving air connectivity, with authorities pressing airlines to maintain their Cyprus schedules while also working with tour operators and organisers specialising in niche tourism to keep the island in their programmes. 

Several months on, Koumis said that effort had paid off, adding that “looking back, we can say that we succeeded”. 

The improvement is also reflected in the figures. During the first four months of the year, he said, the industry was looking at a decline of around 18 per cent. 

By the end of July, the gap had narrowed to 8 per cent, while the latest August figures have since brought the eight-month decline down further to 7 per cent. 

August alone recorded 581,880 tourist arrivals, down 3.3 per cent from 602,026 a year earlier, though still 4.9 per cent above August 2024. 

Koumis expects that gap to narrow again over the remaining months of the year, saying that “by the end of the year we will be talking about a decline of around 5 per cent”. 

He added that a fall of that size could occur in any sector without necessarily pointing to a more serious underlying problem. 

Koumis also thanked tourism bodies for their support during the disruption, saying the government and private sector would continue their joint effort to improve the year-end result.