Cyprus second only to Malta as foreign visitors dominate tourist stays

Cyprus remained one of the European Union’s most foreign-dependent tourism markets in the first quarter of 2026, with overseas visitors accounting for 85.6 per cent of all tourist overnight stays, Eurostat data showed on Tuesday.

The figure placed Cyprus second in the bloc, behind Malta, where foreign visitors made up 93.3 per cent of overnight stays. Luxembourg followed closely in third place, at 85.1 per cent.

By comparison, domestic tourism continued to dominate in several larger EU markets. Germany recorded the lowest share of foreign visitor overnight stays, at 19.9 per cent, followed by Poland with 20.2 per cent and Romania with 22.4 per cent.

Across the EU, foreign visitors accounted for about 46.6 per cent of all overnight stays in tourist accommodation during the first three months of the year.

The figures point to the extent to which Cyprus’ tourism industry continues to depend on international demand, particularly during the quieter winter period, when domestic travel makes up a smaller share of activity than in many other member states.

In monthly terms, Cyprus recorded 368,639 overnight stays in January, before rising to 476,000 in February and 503,579 in March.

These stays covered hotels, holiday homes and other short-stay accommodation.

Compared with the same months of 2025, overnight stays in Cyprus increased by 14.43 per cent in January and by a much stronger 32.17 per cent in February.

However, March moved in the opposite direction, falling by 36.81 per cent year-on-year, weighing on the overall quarterly picture.

At EU level, tourist accommodation recorded 471.1 million overnight stays in the first quarter of 2026, up 3.4 per cent from the same period last year.

January accounted for 143.5 million overnight stays, representing a 3.2 per cent increase, while February rose by 3.4 per cent to 154.4 million.

March was the strongest month in absolute terms, with 173.2 million overnight stays, up 3.7 per cent year-on-year.

Among member states, Ireland recorded the sharpest quarterly increase, with overnight stays rising by 35.3 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2025.

Malta followed with growth of 11.1 per cent, while Denmark recorded an increase of 9.3 per cent.

On the other hand, nine EU countries posted declines. Lithuania recorded the steepest drop, at 12.9 per cent, followed by Romania with a fall of 6.7 per cent and Luxembourg with a decline of 3.8 per cent.

Foreign demand also outpaced domestic travel across the bloc.

According to Eurostat, overnight stays by foreign visitors in the EU increased by 5.5 per cent year-on-year, while domestic overnight stays rose by 1.7 per cent.

Ireland again led the increase in foreign visitor overnight stays, with growth of 42.3 per cent.

Lithuania followed with 24.1 per cent, while Slovakia recorded an increase of 15.4 per cent.

By contrast, Latvia recorded a decline of 7.5 per cent, Bulgaria fell by 4.3 per cent, and Belgium was down 4 per cent.

Eurostat said the data were drawn from monthly statistics on tourist accommodation.

المصدر: Cyprus Mail