The coming months are expected to be challenging for Cyprus’ tourism sector, with the impact of the geopolitical crisis now reflected in official data from the Statistical Service. Despite intensive efforts by all relevant authorities, the shadow of the Middle East crisis – and images suggesting Cyprus is involved in the conflict – has left a deep mark on tourism, with a sharp drop in arrivals in March and negative signals also emerging for April and May.
According to figures released on Friday by the Statistical Service, following record highs in 2024 and 2025, tourist arrivals in March 2026 fell by 30.7 percent year on year to 139,198, compared with 200,736 in March 2025.
The United Kingdom remained the main source market in March 2026, accounting for 32.9 percent of arrivals (45,763). Poland followed with 12.6 percent (17,604), Germany with 10.8 percent (14,999) and Greece with 6.5 percent (9,009).
Arrivals from the United Kingdom declined by 25.6 percent on an annual basis, while arrivals from Poland fell by 11.2 percent. Germany recorded a smaller drop of 6.7 percent, while arrivals from Greece fell by 31 percent.
Arrivals from Israel saw the steepest decline, plunging by 94.6 percent to just 1,537, compared with 28,353 in March 2025.
It is recalled that Hermes Airports data also showed a significant drop in air traffic at Cyprus’s airports in March 2026, amounting to 15.3 percent.
Heightened uncertainty
Addressing the first meeting of the EU Informal Council of Tourism Ministers on Friday, under the theme “The Upcoming European Strategy for Sustainable Tourism”, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis said global tourism has entered a period of heightened uncertainty.
He noted that the agreed ceasefire brought a degree of optimism and revived bookings in affected destinations. However, he stressed that “general uncertainty remains across the global tourism landscape”.
“Despite the negative consequences, the sector’s proven resilience in recent years creates a sense of optimism,” Koumis said.
It is noted that in recent weeks Koumis has held intensive contacts in key source markets for Cyprus, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland.
The toughest crisis
Speaking on Thursday on the Sigma television programme Protoselido, Cyprus Hotels Association (PASYXE) director general Christos Angelides referred to the challenges facing Cypriot tourism, underlining that managing the country’s image and reputation is the main challenge of the current period.
Describing the situation, Angelides said this is the most difficult crisis the sector has had to manage, because it directly concerns Cyprus’s image abroad. He said this perception has unsettled the travelling public.
Referring to cancellations, Angelides noted that while their number has eased, new bookings have not increased sufficiently to offset the losses already incurred.
The sharp fall in March has led to an overall negative trend in arrivals for the first quarter of 2026. Between January and March 2026, tourist arrivals totalled 407,339, compared with 446,596 in the same period of 2025, representing a decline of 8.8 percent.
Outbound travel also affected
Beyond inbound tourism, the crisis has also affected outbound travel. Trips by Cyprus residents abroad in March 2026 fell by 8.8 percent to 133,034, compared with 145,940 in March 2025.
The main destinations from which Cyprus residents returned in March 2026 were Greece with 32.4 percent (43,068), the United Kingdom with 9.9 percent (13,131), Italy with 4.7 percent (6,304) and Germany with 4.5 percent (5,961).