Cyprus tourist arrivals rise 1.8% in September as nine-month shortfall narrows

Nicosia, Cyprus. Tourist arrivals in Cyprus rose 1.8 per cent in September, reversing August’s decline, according to data published on Monday by the statistical service, Cystat. Increases from Israel, Britain and Greece outweighed continuing losses elsewhere, despite falls in most European markets.

September reverses August decline

Cystat recorded 580,889 arrivals for September, against 570,635 in September 2025, an increase of 10,254. The rise followed a 3.3 per cent decrease in August.

Compared with September 2024, when 509,463 tourists visited Cyprus, the latest monthly figure was 14 per cent higher, the data showed.

Nine-month deficit falls to 5.6 per cent

Arrivals between January and September totalled 3,401,538, according to Cystat, compared with 3,604,790 over the equivalent period in 2025. That left a deficit of 203,252 visitors, or 5.6 per cent.

The figures showed that the percentage shortfall had been narrowing since spring. It stood at 10.1 per cent at June’s close, then eased to 8 per cent in July and 7 per cent in August before reaching 5.6 per cent after September.

September also brought a reduction in the numerical deficit, from 213,506 at August’s close to 203,252. In August, by contrast, the numerical gap against 2025 had grown even as the percentage decline became smaller.

Against 2024, the nine-month result was 4.1 per cent higher than the 3,268,090 arrivals recorded that year, Cystat’s figures showed. It nevertheless remained below 2025’s record level.

Britain leads while Israel posts strongest growth

The United Kingdom retained its position as Cyprus’ biggest tourism market, supplying 184,345 visitors in September, or 31.7 per cent of the monthly total, according to Cystat.

Arrivals from Britain were up 2.8 per cent compared with the September 2025 figure of 179,293. They also exceeded September 2024’s 180,961 by 1.9 per cent.

Israel again delivered the largest increase among the island’s major tourism markets. Cystat recorded 105,249 arrivals from Israel, a rise of 31.4 per cent from 80,115 a year earlier.