Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus tourism showed signs of stabilisation in official figures for May and June, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis told parliament on Tuesday during a House Trade Committee session on the impact of Middle East tensions on the sector. He said losses had been significantly contained and that the sector had returned to a stable path.
Committee examines regional impact
The House Trade Committee discussed the effects of the volatile regional situation on Cyprus’ tourism industry and possible support measures for affected businesses.
Koumis said that, given the intense shock suffered by the tourism economy, the losses reflected in May data had been significantly contained. He added that the measures taken appeared to have worked effectively and that the tourism sector was again demonstrating resilience.
May figures narrow the decline
Koumis said 2026 would not be a record year because of significant losses in March and April. However, he said May reduced the decline in tourist arrivals to 4.9 per cent compared with May 2025, while still showing an 8.1 per cent increase compared with 2024.
Strong start to the year
He said January and February marked the strongest start to a year in Cyprus tourism history, describing them as evidence of strong momentum carried over from the record-breaking 2025 season and effective planning in the sector.
According to Koumis, 2026 was a very unusual year. He said January and February together recorded a 9.1 per cent increase in arrivals compared with 2025, alongside rises of 25.9 per cent and 27.9 per cent compared with 2024 and 2023.
January alone rose 8.5 per cent year on year, with increases of 38.3 per cent and 34.3 per cent compared with 2024 and 2023, and a 176 per cent increase compared with 2022.
February recorded increases of 9.5 per cent compared with 2025, 17.2 per cent compared with 2024 and 23 per cent compared with 2023.
June trends
Koumis said preliminary passenger arrival data from June 1 to June 22 showed a 4.3 per cent decrease compared with 2025, but increases of 7.1 per cent compared with 2024 and 12.8 per cent compared with 2023.
