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Cyprus Records Highest-Ever September Tourist Arrivals Despite 5.6% Year-To-Date Decline

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

Cyprus welcomed 580,889 tourists in September 2026, the highest number ever recorded for the month and an increase of 1.8% compared with September 2025. However, total arrivals in the first nine months of the year remained 5.6% below the previous year, as the tourism sector continued to recover from geopolitical disruption.

Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis described the latest figures as evidence of the sector’s resilience, noting that the gap with 2025 has continued to narrow.

September Sets A New Benchmark

According to the Statistical Service, tourist arrivals between January and September totalled 3,401,538, down from 3,604,790 in the same period of 2025.

Despite the decline, Koumis said the result was the second-highest nine-month total in the history of Cypriot tourism. Arrivals were 4.1% higher than in 2024 and 8.3% above the level recorded in 2023.

United Kingdom Remains The Leading Market

The UK remained Cyprus’ largest source market in September, accounting for nearly one-third of all arrivals. Israel ranked second, followed by Poland.

The main source markets were:

  • United Kingdom: 184,345 arrivals (31.7%)
  • Israel: 105,249 (18.1%)
  • Poland: 41,636 (7.2%)
  • Germany: 30,362 (5.2%)
  • Greece: 19,995 (3.4%)
  • Sweden: 18,656 (3.2%)

Tourism Sector Recovers From March Disruption

Koumis described the latest results as showing “very promising momentum”, crediting the wider tourism sector with responding effectively to the challenges it faced in March. At the time, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the negative publicity that followed threatened travel demand.

The immediate priority was to protect existing tourism programmes and maintain relationships with strategic partners, he said.

“We essentially invested once again in our country’s strategic partners and adjusted our planning in response to geopolitical developments,” Koumis said.

Six months later, he added, the figures point to a recovering and resilient sector, with the year-on-year gap continuing to narrow.

Preparations For 2027 Are Underway

Planning for the 2027 tourism programme has been underway for months, with the aim of sustaining growth and recovering markets affected by external shocks.

Koumis said the Deputy Ministry was focused on quality-driven and sustainable tourism development, ensuring that the sector’s performance delivers tangible benefits to communities across Cyprus.

Travel By Cyprus Residents Edges Down

Outbound travel by Cyprus residents also declined slightly in September. A total of 165,447 trips were recorded, compared with 166,129 in September 2025, a decrease of 0.4%.

Greece was the leading destination, accounting for 59,422 trips, or 35.9% of the total. The UK followed with 10,755 trips (6.5%), ahead of Italy with 9,227 (5.6%) and Russia with 7,711 (4.7%).

Holidays accounted for 82.9% of trips abroad by Cyprus residents. Business travel represented 14.3%, while studies accounted for 1.5% and other purposes for 1.2%.

Cyprus-Based ASBIS Hits Record $1.05bn In Monthly Revenue, Up 216% Year On Year

by News Editor

The technology distributor ASBIS Group, headquartered in Limassol, has exceeded $1 billion in monthly sales for the first time in its history, reporting preliminary consolidated revenue of $1.05 billion in September 2026, more than three times the amount recorded a year earlier.

The figure represents a 216% increase from $332 million in September 2025, making it the highest-revenue month in the company’s history.

ASBIS reported its strongest sales growth in servers and server components, while CEO Serhei Kostevitch pointed to growing demand for artificial intelligence solutions and computing infrastructure as an opportunity for the business.

For a company operating across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, September marked a new sales milestone following several months of substantial year-on-year growth.

Kostevitch attributed the record performance to the group’s existing operations, highlighting its broad product portfolio, international market presence and strong relationships with manufacturers and trading partners.

“Most importantly, this result is the outcome of our regular operating activities,” he said.

The CEO also highlighted the company’s portfolio of projects as a reason for confidence in continued AI-related development.

However, the group’s growth was not limited to AI-related technologies. Smartphones also performed strongly in September, with Kostevitch stressing that “we are growing beyond the AI segment as well.”

Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine accounted for the largest shares of ASBIS’s September revenue, followed by Slovakia and Poland.

Growth Follows Record First Half

September’s results follow a period of strong financial performance for ASBIS.

In July, the company reported preliminary consolidated revenue of $531 million, an increase of 89% compared with the same month in 2025. August brought a further rise to $604 million, up 91% year on year.

September’s $1.05 billion figure represents a substantial increase on both months, although the company has not provided a detailed breakdown explaining the acceleration.

The results also follow a record first half of 2026, when ASBIS generated approximately $2.97 billion in consolidated revenue, up 76% year on year.

Net profit after tax reached $80.6 million, compared with $19.4 million in the same period in 2025.

The second quarter was particularly strong, with revenue reaching $1.69 billion, an increase of 78.7%, while quarterly net profit more than tripled to $44.3 million.

ASBIS has emphasised that its September revenue figures are preliminary estimates and may differ from the final reported results.

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