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Tourism Revenue Declines Sharply In Cyprus As Israeli Arrivals Plummet

Declining Revenue Figures

Data from the Statistical Service show that tourism revenue in Cyprus fell to €85.6 million in March 2026, compared with €129.4 million in March 2025, representing a decline of 33.8%. A significant reduction in arrivals from Israel, one of Cyprus’ key tourism markets, contributed to the decrease.

Downturn In Arrivals And Expenditure

Tourist arrivals declined to 139,198 in March 2026 from 200,736 a year earlier. Average expenditure per visitor also decreased by 4.6%, falling from €644.65 to €615.27. As a result, both visitor numbers and spending contributed to lower tourism revenue during the month.

Market-Specific Impacts

The sharpest decline was recorded in the Israeli market, where arrivals fell from 28,353 in March 2025 to 1,537 in March 2026. Israeli visitors have historically ranked among the highest-spending tourist groups. In March 2025, average daily expenditure among Israeli tourists reached €194.69.

Despite lower visitor numbers, the United Kingdom remained Cyprus’ largest tourism market, accounting for 32.9% of total arrivals. Arrivals from the UK declined from 61,545 to 45,763, while British tourists spent an average of €69.01 per day and €669.43 per trip.

Poland and Germany remained the second and third largest source markets, representing 12.6% and 10.8% of arrivals respectively. Average daily expenditure reached €81.99 for Polish visitors and €77.88 for German tourists, while average spending per trip stood at €401.76 and €724.25 respectively.

External Factors And Future Implications

Additional pressure on the tourism sector came from security concerns following a drone incident near the British RAF base at Akrotiri, which prompted travel advisories and precautionary measures in several countries. Recent data highlight the impact that changes in key source markets can have on tourism revenue, particularly when declines affect higher-spending visitor segments. Industry stakeholders and policymakers are expected to continue monitoring arrival and spending trends as they assess the performance of the sector during the remainder of the year.

Cyprus Fuel Prices Jump 20.5% As Energy Costs Rise Across The EU

Cyprus recorded a 20.5% year-on-year increase in the prices of fuels and lubricants for personal transport in May 2026, according to Eurostat data released on Monday.

The increase was broadly in line with the European Union average of 20.7%, with fuel and lubricant prices rising across all EU member states during the period.

Cyprus Tracks The EU Average

Among EU countries, the largest annual increases were recorded in Bulgaria (33.9%), Luxembourg (32.2%), Lithuania (30.8%) and Romania (30.4%). At the other end of the scale, Hungary registered the smallest increase at 3.5%, while annual growth ranged from 12.7% in Poland to 29.2% in France across the remaining member states.

Eurostat noted that fuel and lubricant prices generally declined across the EU until February 2026 before moving higher in subsequent months.

Diesel And Petrol Follow Different Paths

Across the European Union, diesel prices increased by 29% in May 2026 compared with the same month a year earlier, while petrol prices rose by 16.2%. Monthly trends, however, were more mixed. Between April and May 2026, diesel prices across the EU fell by 5.8%, whereas petrol prices increased by 0.8%.

In Cyprus, diesel prices declined by 1.5% over the same period. Although lower than in April, the decrease was less pronounced than in Germany (-11.9%), Greece (-8.5%), Estonia (-8.4%) and Ireland (-8.1%).

Petrol prices moved in the opposite direction, rising by 2.1% between April and May. A similar pattern was observed across much of the EU, with 23 member states reporting monthly increases. Italy recorded the largest monthly rise in petrol prices at 6.9%, while decreases were reported in Germany (-5.6%), Ireland (-2.0%) and Sweden (-0.7%).

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