Cyprus recorded a significant drop in tourism revenues in March 2026, reflecting a steep contraction in arrivals from Israel, one of the island’s key source markets.
According to the Travellers Survey, released by CySTAT, tourism revenues fell to €85.6 million in March, marking a 33.8% decline compared with €129.4 million in the same month of 2025.
For the January–March period, total tourism revenues stood at €245.5 million, down from €278.3 million in the corresponding period last year, a decrease of 11.8%.
The decline was driven by both lower tourist arrivals and reduced spending per visitor. Total arrivals in March dropped to 139,198 from 200,736 a year earlier, while average per capita expenditure fell by 4.6% to €615.27 from €644.65.
A particularly sharp contraction was recorded in the Israeli market. Arrivals from Israel fell to just 1,537 in March 2026 from 28,353 in the same month of 2025. Israeli visitors are traditionally among the highest-spending tourists, with average daily expenditure reaching €194.69 in March 2025—the highest among Cyprus’s main source markets.
Despite a decline in absolute numbers (45,763 arrivals compared with 61,545 in 2025), the United Kingdom remained Cyprus’s largest tourism market, accounting for 32.9% of total arrivals in March. British tourists spent an average of €69.01 per day, with per capita expenditure reaching €669.43.
Poland emerged as the second-largest source market with a 12.6% share of arrivals. Polish tourists spent an average of €81.99 per day, while per capita expenditure stood at €401.76.
Germany ranked third with 10.8% of total arrivals. German visitors recorded an average per capita spend of €724.25 and daily expenditure of €77.88.
The Survey recalled that in March 2026 an incident involving a drone attack on the British RAF base in Akrotiri, Cyprus triggered security alerts and travel advisories from several countries, adding to concerns over regional security during the period.
(Source: CNA)
