Konstantinos Letymbiotis: Cyprus on track to become a year-round destination, after record arrivals in Q1

Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said Cyprus is well on track to becoming a year-round destination, after tourism in the first four months of 2025 reached "historic" levels, and April arrivals exceeded 400,000 for the first time in history.

Speaking to journalists during a press briefing at the Presidential Palace, he said that this is "the result of targeted policies, a strategic approach and close cooperation between the public and and the private sector, it is the outcome of the serious work that has been done through the implementation of the National Tourism Strategy, which yields measurable and impressive results".

Noting that this "does not make us complacent", he added that "on the contrary, it encourages us to intensify even more our efforts for qualitative upgrading, for further diversification of the tourism product, for attracting new markets, for sustainable development that respects the environment and strengthens local communities".

Tourism, he said, is and will remain a pillar of the economy, and in this context "we must build its future with vision, consistency and strategic planning". 

The Spokesman noted that  official data of the Statistical Service show that the performance of tourism during the first four months of 2025 was not simply positive, but "historic". 

"Cypriot tourism is already on a course of  new records, with arrivals recording the highest performance ever recorded during the period January - April," he noted

He also said that the 15.6% increase compared to 2024, the 17.5% increase compared to 2023, the 62% increase compared to 2022 and and the 26% increase compared to 2019, before the pandemic, "confirms that the recovery is not only complete but also steadily upward". 

Equally important, he added, is that this is not just seasonal. 

"Tourist traffic is now substantially strengthened during the winter months, with an increase of 51% on a three-year basis and an impressive increase of 122% over a ten-year horizon for the period November - April," he added. 

This, he concluded, confirms that Cyprus will be established as a year-round destination, going beyond the narrow limits of traditional summer tourism.