Tourist arrivals improve in May, still below 2025 levels

Tourist arrivals in Cyprus improved in May, but were still below year-ago levels for the third consecutive month, with cancellations drastically impacting hotel bookings and airline reservations cancelled after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

A lone drone attack on the British base of Akrotiri in March with no casualties and minimal impact, added to the fear factor, as airlines reduced capacity on low ticket sales.

Tourist arrivals reached 455,680 in May, compared to 479,160 in May 2025, a decrease of 4.9%, according to the statistical service Cystat.

For the five-month period of January-May, tourist arrivals dropped by 13.3% to 1,166,050 compared to 1,344,486 in the corresponding period of 2025, despite the pre-war months of January and February seeing a slight increase in arrivals.

British holidaymakers once again accounted for the biggest share of tourists on the island.

Arrivals from the U.K. were the main source of tourism in May, with a share of 36.3% (165,600) of total arrivals, followed by Israel with 11.8% (53,649), Poland with 8.2% (37,307), Germany with 6.3% (28,546) and Sweden with 4.9% (22,111), followed by Greece with 16,383 arrivals, Austra, Denmark and Romania.

In May, 75.9% of tourists travelled for holidays, 14.9% visited friends in Cyprus and relatives and 9.2% travelled for business, compared to the May 2025 figures of 81.2% of tourists visiting Cyprus for holidays, 11.1% to see friends or relatives and 7.6% for business.

Cyprus residents travelling abroad

A total of 140,892 residents of Cyprus returned from a trip abroad in May compared to 143,296 in the same month last year, a decrease of 1.7%.

The main destinations from Cyprus in May were Greece with a share of 32.4% (45,668), the U.K. with 8.8% (12,399), Italy with 5.9% (8,324) and Poland with 4.4% (6,199).

The purpose of overseas travel for Cyprus residents in May was mainly holidays (71.5%), followed by business (23.9%), studies (3.1%) and “other” at 1.4%.