Tourism sector bounces back from geopolitical disruption, Koumis says

Cyprus recorded its strongest September for tourist arrivals on record, with visitor numbers rising by 1.8 per cent year-on-year as increased arrivals from Israel, Britain and Greece helped offset steep declines across several European markets.

A total of 580,889 tourists visited the island during the month, compared with 570,635 in September 2025, according to figures released on Monday by the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat).

The increase marked a return to growth after arrivals fell by 3.3 per cent in August, while Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis described the September performance as evidence of the sector’s recovery following the disruption caused by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The latest figures also showed that arrivals were 14 per cent higher than in September 2024, when Cyprus welcomed 509,463 tourists, highlighting the longer-term expansion of the sector despite a difficult start to 2026.

For the January to September period, however, arrivals reached 3,401,538, down by 5.6 per cent from 3,604,790 during the corresponding period last year. This represented 203,252 fewer visitors over the first nine months of the year.

Nevertheless, the annual shortfall has continued to narrow since the spring, falling from 10.1 per cent at the end of June to 8 per cent in July, 7 per cent in August and 5.6 per cent after September.

The nine-month total was also 4.1 per cent higher than in 2024, when Cyprus recorded 3,268,090 arrivals, and 8.3 per cent above the corresponding period in 2023.

Koumis said the results demonstrated the sector’s ability to recover after the uncertainty that emerged in March, when geopolitical tensions across the Middle East and the negative publicity that followed created considerable difficulties for the island’s tourism industry.

He explained that “the government’s immediate priority had been to ensure that existing travel programmes to Cyprus remained in place”, recognising that their continuation would largely determine the sector’s performance over the following months.

The Deputy Ministry of Tourism subsequently placed renewed emphasis on cooperation with the country’s strategic partners while adjusting its planning to respond to the changing geopolitical situation.

Six months later, Koumis said “the results demonstrated more than a recovery in visitor numbers”, reflecting the effectiveness of decisions taken across the tourism industry and the sector’s ability to withstand external pressures.

Israel was the main driver of September’s increase, with arrivals climbing by 31.4 per cent to 105,249, compared with 80,115 a year earlier.

The increase was even more pronounced against September 2024, when Cyprus received 54,557 Israeli tourists, representing growth of 92.9 per cent over two years.

Israeli visitors accounted for 18.1 per cent of all arrivals during the month, up from 14 per cent in September 2025 and 10.7 per cent two years earlier.

Israel alone contributed 25,134 additional arrivals compared with September last year, more than twice the overall increase of 10,254 tourists recorded across all markets. Without the additional Israeli visitors, arrivals from all other markets combined would have fallen by 14,880.

The United Kingdom remained Cyprus’ largest tourism market, accounting for 31.7 per cent of September arrivals, with 184,345 visitors.

British arrivals increased by 2.8 per cent from 179,293 in September 2025 and stood 1.9 per cent above the 180,961 recorded in September 2024.

Together, Britain and Israel accounted for almost half of all tourist arrivals during the month, underlining the extent to which September’s growth depended on the two markets.

Greece also contributed to the improvement, with arrivals rising by 16.1 per cent to 19,995, compared with 17,217 last year. The figure was 29.2 per cent higher than the 15,479 recorded in September 2024, reversing the 9.7 per cent annual decline reported in August.

Other markets continued to experience weaker demand. Poland, the island’s third-largest source of tourists during September, recorded a 7.5 per cent decline to 41,636 arrivals, while Germany saw numbers fall by 11.6 per cent to 30,362.

Despite the annual drop, German arrivals remained 23.5 per cent above their September 2024 level of 24,594.

Sweden recorded 18,656 visitors, down 9.3 per cent year-on-year and 13.7 per cent below its September 2024 total. Romania registered a sharper annual decline of 16.2 per cent to 15,058 arrivals, although the figure remained 2.4 per cent above the level recorded two years earlier.

Austria also saw arrivals decrease, falling by 13.8 per cent to 10,637, while the Netherlands recorded a 9 per cent decline to 7,121 visitors.

France experienced the steepest fall among the listed markets, with arrivals plunging by 48.9 per cent to 4,994, compared with 9,771 in September 2025. The figure was also almost half the 9,870 French visitors recorded in September 2024.

Other European markets proved more stable. Switzerland recorded 10,599 arrivals, down 0.6 per cent year-on-year, while Norway saw a decline of just 0.4 per cent to 9,457. Hungary recorded 8,991 visitors, down 2.9 per cent, while Denmark registered an 8.3 per cent decrease to 8,354.

Lebanon was another market to record growth, with arrivals rising by 8.9 per cent to 4,166, although the figure remained 7.7 per cent below September 2024. Countries grouped under other markets generated 101,269 arrivals, down 2.4 per cent year-on-year but 20.9 per cent above the level recorded two years earlier.

The figures suggest that the recovery remains uneven, with stronger demand from Israel, Britain and Greece compensating for continued weakness across several European markets.

Looking ahead, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism has already begun preparations for 2027, with Koumis saying “the objective is to maintain the sector’s strong performance while encouraging the return of visitors from geographical markets that recorded declines because of external factors”.

Beyond recovering lost business, the deputy ministry is seeking to strengthen the quality and sustainability of Cyprus’ tourism product.

Koumis concluded by stressing that “the government’s longer-term ambition is to ensure that tourism growth delivers tangible benefits to local communities”, while supporting the continued development of one of the country’s most important economic sectors.