Newsroom
The beaches are busy, hotel pools are full, and flights continue to arrive, but Cyprus' tourism industry is earning significantly less money than it did this time last year.
New figures released by the Statistical Service show that tourism revenue fell by 16.5% during the first five months of 2026, dropping to €798.2 million, compared with €955.8 million over the same period in 2025.
That's a loss of more than €157 million in tourism income before the summer season has even reached its peak.
The figures suggest that while Cyprus is still attracting visitors, the overall tourism picture has cooled since the start of the year.
January and February actually performed better than the same months in 2025. But since March, tourism income has consistently lagged behind last year's levels, although the gap narrowed somewhat in May.
In May alone, visitors spent €355.2 million, down 4.8% from the €373.3 million recorded in May 2025.
One encouraging sign is that tourists are not spending less individually.
The average visitor spent €779.42 during their stay in May, almost identical to the €779.08 recorded a year earlier.
That suggests the decline in revenue is being driven more by the mix or number of visitors than by tourists tightening their wallets.
British visitors remained Cyprus' biggest tourism market, accounting for 36.3% of all arrivals in May. On average, they spent €102.23 per day.
Israeli tourists, who made up 11.8% of visitors, continued to be among the island's biggest spenders, averaging €178.18 per day—almost twice as much as British holidaymakers.
Polish visitors, the third-largest market with 8.2% of arrivals, spent an average of €85.41 per day.
The number of visitors increased from only a handful of markets compared with May last year, namely Belgium, Israel, Lebanon, and Poland, while other traditional markets either remained flat or declined.
For an economy where tourism contributes billions of euros each year and supports thousands of jobs, from hotels and restaurants to taxi drivers, beach bars, and souvenir shops, the figures will be watched closely as the industry heads into its busiest months.
The hope now is that a strong summer season can help narrow the gap and turn around what has so far been a disappointing year for one of Cyprus' most important industries.
