Cyprus recorded the third-highest tourism intensity in the European Union in 2025, with an average of 19.4 nights spent in tourist accommodation per resident, according to a Eurostat report published on Monday. The island ranked behind Croatia, with 24.5 nights per inhabitant, and Malta, with 21.7, placing Cyprus among the EU countries with the highest tourism activity relative to population size. Greece followed with 15.1 nights per inhabitant, while Austria recorded 14.6, the report added.
Across the EU, tourism intensity averaged 7.0 nights per resident in 2025, up from 6.7 in 2024. The bloc recorded 3.1 billion nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in 2025, a 4.1 percent increase from 3.0 billion in 2024 and a 26.5 percent rise compared with 2015. Domestic and international tourists accounted for nearly equal numbers of overnight stays, with visitors from other EU member states and domestic markets making up 80.9 percent of all nights.
The latest data from the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat) shows the sector’s resilience continued into 2026, with September tourist arrivals reaching a record 580,889 visitors, a 1.8 percent year-on-year increase. Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis attributed the recovery to growth in key markets, led by Israel, where arrivals rose by 31.4 percent, followed by the United Kingdom, up 2.8 percent, and Greece, up 16.1 percent. The gains offset sharp declines in arrivals from several other European markets.
Despite September’s record, total tourist arrivals between January and September fell by 5.6 percent year-on-year to 3,401,538. However, the annual shortfall has narrowed steadily since spring, reflecting the sector’s recovery following earlier geopolitical disruptions in the Middle East, Koumis said. The September figures also marked a 14 percent increase compared with September 2024, when Cyprus welcomed 509,463 tourists.
The tourism intensity measure compares the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments with the permanent resident population of each country, providing an indication of tourism activity relative to population size .
