The tourism sector is moving towards recovery, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis said in a written statement issued on Thursday, expressing cautious optimism that the second half of 2026 will bring positive results.
The Deputy Minister attributed the slowdown recorded in the tourism sector during March and April to geopolitical developments in the Middle East region, following the publication of Statistical Service data on tourism revenues for March.
Koumis noted that 2026 started with positive prospects for Cypriot tourism, pointing out that tourist arrivals increased by 8.5% in January and by 9.5% in February compared with the same period last year.
He said the performance of the first two months of the year indicated that “Cypriot tourism was heading towards a third consecutive record year.”
However, he added that the figures for March and April were significantly affected by developments in the wider region. According to the Deputy Minister, the escalation in the Middle East in March led to a substantial reduction in flight schedules to and from Cyprus for about one week.
He also said that the temporary closure of airports in neighbouring countries, such as Israel and Jordan, had a negative impact on Cyprus.
Concluding, he said the government is working in coordination with all stakeholders to ensure that “Cypriot tourism achieves the best possible results in 2026.”
“It is with satisfaction that we see the tourism sector moving towards recovery”, he said. “We remain cautiously optimistic that the second half of 2026 will bring positive results”, he added.
