The tourist arrivals statistics for September 2026 "confirm a very promising dynamic and the effectiveness of the actions of the tourism ecosystem," the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis says, adding that September 2026 "is considered the most successful month in terms of arrivals in the history of Cypriot tourism, while the nine-month period from January to September 2026 is the second best performance in the history of Cypriot tourism."
In a written statement, Koumis states that "the overall performance of September exceeded all previous records, even surpassing September of the previous year, and will now be recorded as the most productive September in the history of Cypriot tourism in terms of arrivals."
He also says that the decline in the overall results for the period from January to September 2026 has been further reduced compared to the previous year, with losses now dropping to 5.6% compared to the previous year, while at the same time recording an increase of 4.1% and 8.3% compared to the years 2024 and 2023.
Koumis adds that "when last March we were called as a Government and as the Deputy Ministry of Tourism to address an unprecedented tourism crisis, a consequence of geopolitical tensions in the broader region of the Middle East, and the subsequent negative publicity, we set as our primary goal the maintenance of the offered programs in our country, knowing very well that to a large extent, this would determine the course of the following months."
"Essentially, we invested once again in the strategic partners of our country and changed our planning, influenced by geopolitical developments," he noted. Six months later, according to the Deputy Minister, the results not only confirm the recovery of the tourism sector but also affirm the return of the sector to a very promising dynamic, the effectiveness of the actions of our country's tourism ecosystem, as well as the resilience of the industry.
Furthermore, he says that the Deputy Ministry has started its planning for 2027 several months ago, aiming to maintain the tourism sector at high-performance levels, and to bring back those geographical markets that recorded a decline affected by external factors. "We continue our efforts to achieve quality and sustainable growth in our country’s tourism sector, with a vision of generating benefits for local communities as a result of the sector’s significant potential,” he concludes.
