Newsroom
Paphos Airport recorded a 7% increase in passenger traffic in July compared with the same month last year, offering one of the clearest signs yet that travel demand is recovering after a difficult start to 2026.
The result is particularly significant because the tourism sector entered the summer under pressure from regional instability and a sharp fall in arrivals earlier in the year. Cyprus recorded 10.1% fewer tourist arrivals during the first six months of 2026, although the annual decline narrowed to 1.7% in June.
Across Larnaca and Paphos airports, 1,635,055 passengers traveled in July, just 1% below the figure recorded in July 2025. For the first seven months of the year, passenger traffic was 3.7% lower than during the same period last year.
The recovery at Paphos appears to have been supported by a strong mix of European markets. Between January and July, the United Kingdom accounted for 23% of traffic, followed by Greece at 17%, Israel at 10% and Poland at 9%. Germany accounted for 5%, while Romania, Austria and Armenia each contributed 3%. Italy and Hungary each represented 2%.
Poland is particularly significant in the context of Paphos. Earlier in the season, when hotel demand in the district was considerably weaker, the Polish market was identified as the only major source market showing continued growth. Hermes Airports had also reported strong performance from the UK and Poland as early as April, with arrival load factors from both markets exceeding 90%.
The airport figures therefore tell a more encouraging story than the headline national tourism numbers. Cyprus was still below last year's visitor levels through June, but the recovery in air traffic accelerated as the summer progressed. Air links also recovered after several European services were temporarily suspended during the regional crisis, with major carriers resuming operations to Cyprus in March.
For Paphos hotels, however, the recovery in passenger traffic has not yet translated into a return to last year's occupancy levels. In late June, the Paphos Hoteliers Association said hotel occupancy was running about 20% below 2025 levels, at roughly 70% during the main summer period, compared with the more than 90% that would normally be expected. Hotels were responding with offers aimed at attracting both foreign and domestic visitors.
There are also reasons to be cautious about treating airport traffic as a direct measure of tourism spending. The broader tourism economy includes restaurants, retail, transport and other services, and recent reporting indicates that visitors have been more restrained in their spending even as tourism demand began to recover.
Still, the July airport figures provide a meaningful change in direction. With 54 airlines now connecting Larnaca and Paphos with 165 destinations in 42 countries, Cyprus enters the rest of the summer with a substantial air network and a much smaller passenger gap than the one recorded earlier in the year.
If regional conditions remain stable, Hermes Airports expects the full-year passenger total to finish between 3% and 5% below the record level reached in 2025.
