The tourism sector in Cyprus and Turkey is facing challenges this year due to their geographical proximity to the Middle East conflict, according to a recent report by the European Travel Commission.
The ETC report, which represents national tourism organisations from 34 member countries, also highlights the strong performance of Cypriot tourism in 2025 and in the first months of 2026, before the outbreak of the war. Cyprus is recording a significant increase in air connectivity.
In particular, the report states that international tourist arrivals in Europe are expected to increase by 7.8% in 2026 compared with 2025. Spain, Portugal and Greece are expected to benefit the most, while Turkey, Cyprus, France and the United Kingdom are more exposed due to their greater reliance on visitors from the Middle East.
Increase of 12.2% in 2025
According to the report, the increase in tourist arrivals in Cyprus, which reached 12.2% in 2025, was the fifth highest among participating countries, after Finland (14.1%), Malta (12.9%), Norway (12.5%), Poland (12.5%) and Slovakia (11.8%).
Demand for winter sun and milder temperatures continued at the start of 2026. In Greece, arrivals rose by 33.3%, in Ireland by 29.7% and in Lithuania by 18.9%. In Cyprus, the increase reached 9.1%.
Air travel
Flight volumes in Europe increased by 2.7% in the three‑month period from December 2025 to February 2026 compared with the same period in 2024–25.
Malta and Cyprus recorded strong growth in flight volumes during the winter season of 2025–26. Malta saw an increase of 12.8%, while Cyprus recorded a rise of 10.4% compared with the same period last year.
“Additional flights, route expansions and increased connectivity across the continent have been introduced in Malta and Cyprus to support their growing popularity as winter sun destinations,” the report notes.
Germany
Cyprus recorded the largest increase in visitors from Germany in the first months of 2026, reaching 41.1%.
“Cyprus still represents a small share of overall travel in the region, but increasing flight capacity is helping to expand its market share. However, given its proximity to the Middle East, growth could slow in the coming months,” the report states.
A significant increase was also recorded in arrivals from France in early 2026, reaching 34.2%.
United Kingdom
Among major destinations for British tourists, arrivals to Greece fell by 14.6%. Declines were also recorded in smaller destinations, including Montenegro at 22.4% and Cyprus at 8.5%. In contrast, Spain saw increased attractiveness, with arrivals rising by 2.5%.
Decline in March and April
According to data released on Monday by the Statistical Service, tourist arrivals to Cyprus in April 2026 fell by 27.6% to 303,031 compared with 418,730 in April 2025, following a year‑on‑year decline of 30.7% in March.
For the period January to April 2026, tourist arrivals reached 710,370 compared with 865,326 in the same period of 2025, marking a decrease of 17.9%. This represents the lowest four‑month level since 2022.
The data indicates a steady and gradual recovery of tourist flows, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis said on Tuesday.
“It was entirely expected that developments in recent months would have an impact on tourism,” he stated, adding that similar effects have been observed in other destinations due to geopolitical developments.
“It is also understandable that comparisons are made with the previous year,” he noted, reminding that 2025 was a record year for Cypriot tourism.
