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Cyprus Tourism Revenue Surges by 9.6% in June, Paving the Way for a Record-Breaking Year

Robust Monthly Performance

Cyprus recorded a significant 9.6% increase in tourism revenue for June 2025, with earnings climbing to €422.3 million from €385.2 million during the same month last year, according to data from the state statistical service, Cystat. This strong monthly performance is bolstered by a rise in average expenditure per visitor, which reached €847.01 in June 2025, up from €798.77 the previous year. Daily spending also increased, rising from €93.97 to €99.65.

Half-Year Performance and Economic Impact

The first half of the year witnessed tourism revenues reach €1.38 billion, marking a 21.3% increase compared to €1.14 billion in the January–June period of 2024. The results underscore the critical role the tourism sector plays in Cyprus’s economy, contributing substantially to employment and overall GDP. The strong performance reflects a continued recovery and momentum following the post-pandemic rebound that saw arrivals surge from 631,609 in 2020 to 2.99 million by 2023.

Visitor Spending Dynamics Across Key Markets

The United Kingdom remains Cyprus’s largest market, accounting for 36.4% of tourists in June 2025 and an average daily spend of €103.92. Other important markets include Poland, where visitors spent an average of €663.65 per person (€90.91 per day) and Israel, with daily expenditures averaging €149.44. Notably, high-spending tourists from Switzerland, Austrians, Belgian, Dutch, German, and Swedish markets further fueled the upward revenue trajectory, while Greek tourists lagged with lower per person spending at €398.38.

Diverse Demographics and Regional Trends

Across the season, the diversity of visitor markets has been a critical driver of growth. The UK continued to dominate arrivals through May, with significant contributions from Israel, Poland, Germany, Sweden, and Greece. June saw a 3.4% increase in tourist arrivals compared to the previous year. Subsequent peak season months further bolstered this trend, with July registering a 6.9% increase in arrivals, positioning Cyprus to exceed 2.4 million tourists by mid-year.

Strategies for Sustained Growth and Year-Round Appeal

Following record-breaking figures in 2024, with revenues exceeding €3.2 billion and visitor numbers surpassing four million, Cyprus is implementing strategic measures for sustainable and digitally empowered year-round tourism. Improved air connectivity, targeted promotional activities, and strategic investments in specialized tourism segments have underpinned this recovery. The updated government tourism strategy through 2035 reflects a commitment to consolidating gains amid emerging challenges such as labor shortages and competitive pressures from alternative destinations.

As the nation continues to redefine its tourism landscape, the focus remains on not only capturing peak demand but also fostering a resilient, diversified market that secures long-term economic stability.

Cypriot Startup LIVIA Wins Europe’s Top Youth Entrepreneurship Competition

A Cypriot university team has won the European GEN-E 2026 youth entrepreneurship competition with LIVIA, a smart agriculture platform that combines satellite data, autonomous drones and artificial intelligence to help farmers improve irrigation, detect disease earlier and reduce pesticide use.

Alongside first place, the team received the FedEx Access Award, expanding its access to investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts across Europe.

Initially developed for vineyards, LIVIA analyses individual plants and turns complex data into practical recommendations. The team is now preparing its first functional product and pilot projects in Cyprus, with plans to expand into additional crops and international markets.

From An Idea To Smart Agriculture

LIVIA began with a simple question: how could satellite data create practical value in everyday life? After exploring applications ranging from meteorology to marine biology, the team identified agriculture as the sector with the greatest potential.

Recognising the limitations of satellite imagery alone, particularly in resolution and update frequency, the founders integrated autonomous drones into the platform to provide more detailed field data.

Designed as a modular system, LIVIA can continuously incorporate new data sources and capabilities. Its initial focus is irrigation management, early disease detection and plant health monitoring, with vineyards serving as the first use case because of their importance to Cyprus and the team’s own experience.

Turning Data Into Decisions

Satellite imagery provides continuous monitoring of crops, while autonomous drones capture high-resolution images whenever greater precision is needed.

Artificial intelligence then combines those datasets with information collected by growers, including IoT sensors and field observations, to generate tailored recommendations for irrigation, disease prevention and resource management.

By analysing each plant individually, the platform enables precision agriculture rather than field-wide recommendations.

Building A Hardware And Software Startup

Developing LIVIA has required balancing advanced software with specialised hardware, including drones, multispectral cameras and charging stations, all while operating with limited resources.

Although the startup participates in the Bank of Cyprus IDEA programme and has secured non-equity funding, integrating multiple data sources into a reliable AI system remains its biggest technical challenge.

The Role Of Junior Achievement

Participation in the JA StartUp Programme helped transform the original concept into a business proposition through mentoring, coaching and pitch preparation.

Support continued after LIVIA won the national competition, with the Junior Achievement Cyprus team helping the founders prepare for the European final in Latvia.

European Recognition

Winning GEN-E 2026 and the FedEx Access Award marked the team’s biggest milestone to date and created new opportunities to connect with investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts across Europe.

The founders are now focused on completing their minimum viable product, launching pilot projects in Cyprus and expanding the platform to new crops and international markets.

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