Tourist arrivals and returns of residents of Cyprus from trips abroad: March 2025
From:
Tourist Arrivals -0,8% and Returns of Residents of Cyprus 13,9%
Tourist Arrivals
The arrivals of tourists reached 200.736 in March 2025 compared to 202.256 in March 2024, recording a decrease of 0,8%.
For the period of January – March 2025, arrivals of tourists totaled 446.596 compared to 415.251 in the corresponding period of 2024, recording an increase of 7,5%.
Arrivals from the United Kingdom were the main source of tourism for March 2025, with a share of 30,7% (61.545) of total arrivals, followed by Israel with 14,1% (28.353), Poland with 9,9% (19.827), Germany with 8,0% (16.084) and Greece with 6,5% (13.053) (Table 1).
| Table 1 | ||||
| Country of usual residence | Tourist arrivals | |||
| March | Percentage Change (%) Mar. 2025/24 | |||
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||
| TOTAL | 184.263 | 202.256 | 200.736 | -0,8 |
| Austria | 3.268 | 2.766 | 2.841 | 2,7 |
| France | 3.568 | 3.923 | 3.367 | -14,2 |
| Germany | 12.864 | 19.732 | 16.084 | -18,5 |
| Denmark | 1.258 | 1.297 | 743 | -42,7 |
| Switzerland | 1.285 | 2.468 | 2.354 | -4,6 |
| Greece | 15.122 | 18.361 | 13.053 | -28,9 |
| United Kingdom | 62.282 | 64.414 | 61.545 | -4,5 |
| Israel | 22.813 | 16.620 | 28.353 | 70,6 |
| Lebanon | 2.396 | 2.101 | 2.042 | -2,8 |
| Norway | 1.145 | 2.421 | 1.321 | -45,4 |
| Netherlands | 2.071 | 1.738 | 2.780 | 60,0 |
| Hungary | 2.644 | 3.671 | 1.570 | -57,2 |
| Poland | 14.049 | 21.054 | 19.827 | -5,8 |
| Romania | 3.962 | 2.823 | 2.921 | 3,5 |
| Sweden | 1.546 | 1.274 | 3.449 | 170,7 |
| Other | 33.990 | 37.593 | 38.486 | 2,4 |
For a percentage of 69,4% of tourists, the purpose of their trip in March 2025 was holidays, for 15,7% visit to friends and relatives and for 14,7% business. Respectively, in March 2024, 76,0% of tourists visited Cyprus for holidays, 13,1% visited friends or relatives and 10,7% visited Cyprus for business reasons (Table 2).
| Table 2 | |||
| Purpose of Visit | Percentage (%) | ||
| Mar. 2023 | Mar. 2024 | Mar. 2025 | |
| Holidays | 71,6 | 76,0 | 69,4 |
| Visiting friends & relatives | 14,9 | 13,1 | 15,7 |
| Business | 13,3 | 10,7 | 14,7 |
Returns of Residents of Cyprus
A total number of 145.940 residents of Cyprus returned from a trip abroad in March 2025 compared to 128.085 in the corresponding month last year, recording an increase of 13,9%.
The main countries from which residents of Cyprus returned in March 2025 were Greece with a share of 32,6% (47.527), the United Kingdom with 12,1% (17.624), Italy with 5,2% (7.522) and Poland with 3,5% (5.167).
The purpose of travel for the residents of Cyprus in March 2025 was mainly holidays, with a percentage of 70,2%, whilst business reasons held a percentage of 26,0%, studies 2,5% and other reasons 1,3%.
Methodological Information
Definitions
Tourists – Visitors who stay for at least one night in Cyprus.
Tourist arrivals – The term refers to the number of trips and not to the number of persons. This differs in the sense that one person can take more than one trips during the reference period.
Residents of Cyprus – This category includes persons who have resided in Cyprus for at least 12 months or who have come to Cyprus with the intention of staying for at least 12 months prior to their travel.
Source of Data and Coverage
The data are obtained from the Passengers Survey which is carried out at the points of arrival in Larnaka and Pafos airports. Additionally, data are also collected from administrative sources, such as the monthly arrivals from ports.
The data covers all persons who pass through passport control at the ports and airports in the Government controlled area of Cyprus. It does not include travelers who arrive and depart illegally via ports and airports in the occupied part of Cyprus.
The weighting was conducted based on the data sent to the Statistical Service by the Civil Aviation Department and from the ship manifests, as well as on the data sent by the Analysis and Statistics Office of the Cyprus Police.
For more information, visit CYSTAT Portal, subtheme Tourism, CYSTAT-DB (Online Database), Predefined Tables (Excel), Methodological Information or contact Ms Lucy Panayidou at 22602152 or via email: lpanagidou@cystat.mof.gov.cy.
The Predefined Tables available in Excel format, include data up to December 2024. As of January 2025, data will only be available in the Online Database CYSTAT-DB.
(IA/NZ)