2024: A Pivotal Year For Tourism And Economic Growth In Cyprus

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

December 2, 2024

Deputy Minister for Tourism, Kostas Koumis, has described 2024 as a milestone year for Cyprus’s tourism sector, highlighting record-breaking achievements in visitor arrivals and revenue. His remarks, delivered on Friday, follow the release of impressive figures by the Statistical Service.

Tourism Reaches New Heights

Koumis expressed satisfaction with the sector’s recovery, noting that arrivals and revenue have returned to, and even exceeded pre-pandemic levels. According to the Deputy Ministry, revenue from January to September 2024 rose by 31.1% compared to 2022 and 15.3% compared to 2019. Arrivals for the January–October period increased by 4.6% from 2023, and 26.7% from 2022, and even surpassed 2019’s figures by 0.8%.

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Additionally, Koumis pointed out that per capita expenditure remains steady, reflecting sustained economic benefits from tourism. Looking ahead to 2025, the ministry’s strategy prioritises investment in rural tourism, environmental preservation, and community-driven benefits.

Resilient Sector and Strategic Success

The Deputy Ministry credited the robust performance to effective market-targeting decisions and the resilience of the tourism sector. Koumis emphasised that Cyprus’s approach to diversifying its tourism offerings and focusing on quality experiences has yielded significant results.

Economic Highlights: Fiscal Surplus and Revenue Growth

Cyprus’s broader economic performance in 2024 also stands out. Preliminary data from the Statistical Service reveals a surplus of €1.43 billion (4.2% of GDP) for January–October, up from €664.8 million (2.1% of GDP) during the same period in 2023.

Revenue Growth

Total Revenue: Increased by 6.6%, reaching €11.69 billion.
Taxes on Production and Imports: Grew by 6.2%, with net VAT revenue rising 7.6%.
Income and Wealth Taxes: Surged by 16%, amounting to €2.9 billion.
Revenue from Goods and Services: Jumped by 29.9%, reaching €822.7 million.

While some areas, such as social benefits and employee compensation, saw increases, the overall fiscal picture remains positive, driven by disciplined spending and strong revenue growth.

Looking Forward

With record-breaking tourism figures and a strong fiscal position, Cyprus is well-positioned for sustainable economic growth. Investments in rural development, community benefits, and environmental sustainability ensure that both the tourism sector and the wider economy will continue to thrive in the years ahead.

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Only 63.9% Of Young Cypriots Have Basic Digital Skills, Eurostat Finds

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 15, 2026

Cyprus continues to lag behind the European Union average in digital skills among young people, even as the bloc records steady progress in digital literacy. New Eurostat data released on Wednesday also show that Cyprus has the widest gender gap in the EU, with young women significantly outperforming young men.

Cyprus Falls Short Of The EU Benchmark

According to Eurostat, 63.9% of Cypriots aged 16 to 24 had at least basic digital skills in 2025, well below the EU average of 74.6%.

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Across the bloc, nearly three-quarters of young people have reached at least a basic level of digital competence, reflecting the growing importance of digital skills in education, employment and everyday life.

Nordic And Central European Leaders Set The Pace

Denmark recorded the highest share of digitally skilled young people, at 92.1%, followed by the Czech Republic with 91.7% and Malta with 91.5%.

At the other end of the ranking, Bulgaria and Romania were the only member states where fewer than 60% of young people had achieved at least basic digital skills, at 52.8% and 53.3%, respectively.

Women Outperform Men Across Most Of The Bloc

Eurostat’s figures also highlight a persistent gender gap across much of the EU. At the bloc level, 75.9% of women aged 16 to 24 possessed at least basic digital skills, compared with 73.3% of men. The same pattern was recorded in 22 member states, including Cyprus.

No country recorded a wider gender gap than Cyprus. Some 73.9% of young women had at least basic digital skills, compared with 55.1% of young men, a difference of 18.8 percentage points.

A Wide Gap With Policy Implications

The disparity is significant because digital skills have become increasingly important for access to education, employment opportunities and participation in a technology-driven economy.

For policymakers, the figures underline two challenges: raising overall digital proficiency while narrowing the gap between young women and young men. Slovenia recorded the second-largest gap in favour of women, at 11.6 percentage points, followed by Austria with 9.1 points.

By contrast, young men outperformed women in only five EU countries. The widest gaps in favour of men were recorded in Malta, where 93.6% of young men had at least basic digital skills compared with 89.1% of young women, and Romania, where the figures stood at 55.1% and 51.1%, respectively.

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