Cyprus posted a 7.4% rise in tourism revenue in the first two months of 2026, but Israeli tourists — who spent more than twice as much per day as any other nationality tracked — virtually disappeared in March following the outbreak of war, according to data released yesterday by the Statistical Service.
Revenue reached €159.9 million in January-February 2026, up from €148.9 million in the same period of 2025. February alone generated €85.3 million, a 7.0% increase on February 2025’s €79.7 million. Tourist arrivals rose 8.5% in January and 9.5% in February compared to the same months of 2025.
The most striking figure in the January-February data concerned per capita spending. Israeli tourists, who made up 12.6% of arrivals in February — equivalent to 18,530 visitors — spent an average of €157.15 per day.
That was more than double the daily spend of tourists from the United Kingdom, the largest market by volume at 19.3% of total arrivals, who spent an average of €72.72 per day. Polish tourists, the second-largest market at 18.4%, spent an average of €75.02 per day. Overall per capita spending in February fell 2.3%, from €595.71 in February 2025 to €581.85.
March: arrivals fall 30.7%
The picture changed sharply in March. Following the outbreak of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28, total tourist arrivals fell 30.7%, dropping from 200,736 in March 2025 to 139,198 in March 2026 — a decline of 61,538 visitors. For the January-March period as a whole, arrivals were down 8.8%, falling from 446,596 to 407,339.
Israeli arrivals, which had been Cyprus’s second-largest market in March 2025 with 28,353 visitors, collapsed to 1,537 in March 2026 — a fall of 94.6%, according to the Statistical Service data.
The Statistical Service noted that the January-February revenue figures relate to the period before the war began. Phileleftheros noted that the near-total loss of Israeli tourists, who recorded the highest daily spend of any market in February, is expected to weigh on March revenue figures when they are published.
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