A dynamic comeback of Israeli tourists was recorded in June, which contained the losses in arrivals both in the previous month and in the entire first half of 2026.
In fact, based on the results to date, tourist arrivals are close to 2024 levels, a fact that particularly satisfies the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, as well as the local tourism operators.
Indicative of this mood is the statement of the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis, who, commenting on the June arrivals, emphasised - among other things - that "they confirm that our country's tourism has returned to a stable trajectory, as the overall performance of the month is considered satisfactory under the circumstances."
It is recalled that according to what has been announced by CySTAT, tourist arrivals in June 2026 amounted to 489,965 compared to 498,527 in June 2025, recording a decrease of 1.7%, while for the period January - June 2026 they amounted to 1,656,015 compared to 1,843,013 in the corresponding period of 2025, showing a decrease of 10.1%.
Compared to 2024, arrivals in June increased by 1.6% and in the first half by 1.65%, since two years ago arrivals in June were 482,261 and in the first half 1,652,475.
The contribution of the Israelis
However, an analysis of the same data shows that an important role in containing losses due to the situation in the Middle East was played by the fact that Israeli tourists returned dynamically in June, with the number of arrivals from our neighbouring country last month being more than double the corresponding month last year.
At the same time, the United Kingdom, despite a decrease in arrivals this year, continues to remain the main tourism market for Cyprus, with a significant difference from second-place Israel.
The main markets
More specefically, arrivals from the United Kingdom in the first half of the year amounted to 539,415 compared to 626,004 in the corresponding period last year, showing a decrease of 13.8%, while arrivals from Israel amounted to 192,037 compared to 210,220 in the period January-June 2025, recording a decrease of 8.6%.
Although arrivals from Israel during the first half of the year are down, they are significantly higher in June compared to both the corresponding month last year and May this year.
In particular, tourist arrivals from Israel amounted to 80,343 in June compared to 30,246 in the corresponding month last year and 53,649 in May this year, recording an increase of 165.7% and 49.8%, respectively.
Regarding arrivals from Poland, which remains one of the most important tourist markets for Cyprus, they amounted to 165,731 in the first half of the year compared to 158,208 in the corresponding period last year, showing an increase of 4.8%.
Other strong players
In addition to the above countries, Germany is also developing into a very important player in Cypriot tourism, establishing itself as the fourth main market, with arrivals reaching 106,537 in the first half of the year compared to 114,485 in the corresponding period last year, recording a decrease of 6.9%.
Greece completes the top five with arrivals in the first six months amounting to 78,811 compared to 85,224 in the corresponding period last year, showing a decrease of 7.5%.
Sweden is also considered an important market, with arrivals in the first half of the year amounting to 64,391 compared to 66,394 last year, showing a small decrease of around 3%.
It is noted that the top ten important markets for Cyprus' tourism are completed by Romania with 35,418 in the first half of the year, Austria with 28,519 arrivals, Hungary with 23,494 and France with 22,970 arrivals.
The performance of other countries
It is also worth mentioning that, during the first half of the year, Cyprus attracted tourists from a total of 21 other countries, whose arrivals were as follows:
- Netherlands: 22,904
- Denmark: 21,256
- Norway: 20,867
- USA: 20,069
- Ukraine: 19,638
- Switzerland: 19,429
- Russia: 16,829
- Lithuania: 16,200
- Italy: 16,059
- Lebanon: 14,208
- Slovakia: 13,933
- Finland: 13,777
- Czech Republic: 12,182
- Serbia: 11,125
- Bulgaria: 11,085
- Belgium: 10,639
- Latvia: 8,456
- United Arab Emirates: 7,650
- Ireland: 7,206
- Malta: 2,515
- Australia: 1,726
Absolute zero
Among the notable elements, we also note the fact that from a total of 13 countries, not a single tourist arrival was recorded in the first half of the year. These countries are:
- Egypt
- Armenia
- Georgia
- Estonia
- Jordan
- Spain
- Canada
- Qatar
- Kuwait
- Belarus
- Bahrain
- South Africa
- Saudi Arabia
(Source: InBusinessNews)
