Tourist arrivals in Cyprus rose by 1.8% in September 2026, reaching 580,889 compared with 570,635 in the same month last year, according to the Statistical Service.
Despite the monthly increase, tourist arrivals during the first nine months of 2026 fell by 5.6% year on year, highlighting a weaker overall performance for the tourism sector.
Between January and September, Cyprus welcomed 3,401,538 tourists, down from 3,604,790 during the corresponding period in 2025.
UK and Israel lead tourist arrivals
The United Kingdom remained Cyprus’ largest source of tourists in September, accounting for 31.7% of all arrivals, or 184,345 visitors.
Israel ranked second, with 105,249 arrivals, representing 18.1% of the total.
Other major markets included:
- Poland: 41,636 arrivals (7.2%)
- Germany: 30,362 (5.2%)
- Greece: 19,995 (3.4%)
- Sweden: 18,656 (3.2%)
The figures show that the UK and Israel together accounted for almost half of all tourist arrivals during the month.
Cyprus residents make slightly fewer trips abroad
Meanwhile, trips abroad by Cyprus residents fell by 0.4% in September, totalling 165,447 compared with 166,129 in September 2025.
Greece was the most common destination for returning residents, accounting for 59,422 trips, or 35.9% of the total.
The United Kingdom followed with 10,755 trips (6.5%), ahead of Italy with 9,227 (5.6%) and Russia with 7,711 (4.7%).
Holidays remain the main reason for travel
Holidays were the main reason Cyprus residents travelled abroad in September, accounting for 82.9% of trips.
Business travel represented 14.3%, while 1.5% of trips were for studies and 1.2% for other reasons.
The September increase in tourist arrivals offers a positive monthly result, although the decline recorded over the first nine months of 2026 points to continued challenges for Cyprus’ tourism sector.
Also read: Flights from UK to Cyprus forecast to drop by half in January
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