In February 2025, Cyprus reported a notable €79.7 million in tourism revenue, reflecting a remarkable 22.4% increase from the same period last year when earnings stood at €65.1 million, according to the latest release by the statistical service.
Year-to-Date Performance
Taking a broader view, the combined revenue for the first two months of 2025 reached €148.9 million, soaring by 35% compared to €110.3 million during the same months in 2024.
The per capita expenditure for February rose by 14.3%, amounting to €595.71 compared to €521.01 in February 2024. Among the tourists, British visitors, accounting for 24.8% of the arrivals, spent an average of €73.42 per day. Polish tourists made up 15.1% of the total arrivals and spent €71.07 daily. Intriguingly, visitors from Israel had the highest daily spending at €203.06.
Future Prospects
Looking ahead, Harris Papacharalambous, President of Cyprus Travel and Tourism Agents Association, anticipates that a total of 4.25 million tourists will visit Cyprus by the end of the year. The vision for 2026 is to enhance the island’s tourism offerings with innovative changes, turning it into a regional hub for tourism activities, thanks to Cyprus’ strategic geographical position.
Cyprus recorded a general government surplus of €1.61 billion in the first nine months of 2026, equal to 4.0% of gross domestic product, as revenue growth outpaced the rise in public spending. Higher receipts from income taxes, social contributions and value-added tax (VAT) drove the improvement, while lower capital expenditure helped restrain spending.
Preliminary figures released Tuesday by the Statistical Service of Cyprus show the surplus rose to €1.17 billion, or 3.0% of GDP, up from € 442.1 million in the same period of 2025.
Total government revenue increased 6.5% to €12.09 billion, while expenditure rose 2.9% to €10.48 billion.
Key Fiscal Measure
January–September 2025
January–September 2026
Total revenue
€11,353.9 million
€12,091.8 million
Total expenditure
€10,186.2 million
€10,482.1 million
Government surplus
€1,167.6 million
€1,609.7 million
Surplus as a share of GDP
3.0%
4.0%
Income Taxes And VAT Lead Revenue Growth
Taxes on income and wealth made the largest contribution to the increase in revenue. Receipts in this category climbed by €442.2 million, or 15.3%, to €3.34 billion, compared with €2.89 billion a year earlier.
Social contributions rose by €235 million, or 6.6%, to €3.78 billion. Taxes on production and imports increased by €251.5 million, or 7.2%, reaching €3.77 billion.
Net VAT receipts, after refunds, totalled €2.64 billion, up €293.1 million, or 12.5%, from €2.35 billion in the first nine months of 2025.
Some Revenue Streams Decline
Not all revenue categories moved higher. Capital transfers fell by €74.6 million to €96.7 million, while current transfers declined by €71.6 million, or 20.5%, to €278.2 million.
Revenue from services slipped 1.0% to €743.5 million. Interest and dividend receipts dropped by €37 million, or 28.6%, to €92.4 million.
Social Benefits And Personnel Costs Increase
On the expenditure side, social benefits rose by €199.6 million, or 4.9%, to €4.27 billion. Compensation of employees—which includes imputed social contributions and public-sector pensions—increased by €108.3 million, or 3.8%, to €2.99 billion.
Intermediate consumption, covering goods and services used in the delivery of public services, rose by €114.3 million, or 11.0%, to €1.16 billion. Interest payments increased by €8.7 million, or 2.6%, to €340.7 million. Current transfers were up €68.7 million, or 10.6%, at €714.7 million.
Lower Capital Spending Limits Expenditure Growth
The overall increase in spending was tempered by a decline in capital expenditure. Capital-account spending fell by €189.9 million, or 16.9%, to €936.2 million from €1.13 billion in the same period last year.
Investment in fixed capital declined by €94.1 million, or 12.1%, to €686.4 million. Other capital transfers fell by €95.8 million, or 27.7%, to €249.8 million. Subsidies also decreased, dropping by €13.9 million, or 15.5%, to €75.8 million.
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