Tourist arrivals show annual increase of 27.5% between January - July

Tourist arrivals for the period of January – July 2023 recorded an annual increase of 27.5%, according to data published by CySTAT.

In a press release, CyStat says that for the period of January – July 2023, arrivals of tourists totaled 2,137,408 compared to 1,676,039 in the corresponding period of 2022, recording an increase of 27.5%.

Meanwhile, the arrivals of tourists reached 523,718 in July 2023 compared to 454,657 in July 2022, recording an increase of 15.2%.

Arrivals from the United Kingdom were the main source of tourism for July 2023, with a share of 33.6% (175,924) of total arrivals, followed by Israel with 12.4% (64,711), Poland with 5.5% (28,957), Sweden with 4.4% (22,994), Germany with 3.6% (19,030) and Greece with 3.1% (16,092).

For a percentage of 85.4% of tourists, the purpose of their trip in July 2023 was holidays, for 11.3% it was a visit to friends and relatives, and for 3.3% it was for business.

Respectively, in July 2022, 84.9% of tourists visited Cyprus for holidays, 12.2% visited friends or relatives and 2.8% visited Cyprus for business reasons. 

Returns of residents of Cyprus

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As regards the returns of Cypriots from abroad, the Statistical Service says that their number showed a significant annual increase in July.

It says that a total number of 184,335 residents of Cyprus returned from a trip abroad in July 2023 compared to 134,198 in the corresponding month last year, recording an increase of 37.4%.

The main countries from which residents of Cyprus returned in July 2023 were Greece with a share of 38.8% (71,445), the United Kingdom with 10.9% (20,011), Italy with 6.4% (11,870), and France with 4.3% (7,869).

The purpose of travel for the residents of Cyprus in July 2023 was mainly holidays, with a percentage of 71.1%, whilst business reasons held a percentage of 13.6%, studies 13,7%, and other reasons 1.6%.

(Source: CNA)