Cyprus recorded 581,880 tourist arrivals in August, down 3.3% from 602,026 a year earlier, according to the Statistical Service of Cyprus (Cystat). The decline narrowed as arrivals from Israel rose sharply, while traffic from several other major markets weakened.

August arrivals were still 4.9% above the 554,923 recorded in August 2024.

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Year-To-Date Decline Narrows

Tourist arrivals reached 2.82 million in the first eight months of 2026, down 7% from 3.03 million a year earlier. The gap narrowed from 10.1% at the end of June and 8% at the end of July.

Britain remained Cyprus’ largest market, accounting for 30.5% of August arrivals, or 177,603 visitors. UK arrivals fell 8% year on year, while Israeli arrivals jumped 28.4% to 135,628, accounting for 23.3% of the monthly total.

Together, Britain and Israel supplied more than half of all tourist arrivals in August.

Most Major Markets Remain Under Pressure

Poland remained the third-largest market, although arrivals fell 12.5% to 36,622. Germany followed with 25,823 visitors, down 6.7%, while Sweden declined 6.4% to 17,441.

Norway was among the few major markets to grow, with arrivals up 1.4% to 8,006. Romania fell 16.3%, Greece 9.7% and Austria 13%.

France recorded the sharpest decline among the listed markets, with arrivals plunging 46% to 8,453. The Netherlands also fell sharply, down 17.5%.

Airports Record Strong Summer Traffic

Larnaca and Paphos airports handled 1.77 million passengers in August, the highest monthly total of 2026, although traffic was 1.5% below August 2025.

For January-August, the airports handled 8.82 million passengers, down 3.3% year on year but 7.9% above the same period in 2024. Tourism Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis has said full-year arrivals could be about 5% below 2025.

Holidays Dominate Travel

Holidays accounted for 84.5% of tourist arrivals in August, down from 86.5% a year earlier. Visits to friends and relatives rose to 13%, while business travel represented 2.4%.

Meanwhile, 239,337 Cyprus residents returned from overseas trips in August, up 0.3% year on year and about 24% above August 2024. Greece remained the leading destination, accounting for 36.6% of returning residents.

Holidays represented 93.1% of residents’ trips, compared with 91.6% a year earlier, while business travel accounted for 5.9%.