Monday, August 4, 2025
UK, US, Israel, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, and Greece played a pivotal role in powering Cyprus to its strongest tourism performance on record in 2025. As travelers from these key markets opted for longer stays and spent more per day, Cyprus reaped the benefits of a quality-over-quantity tourism strategy that brought in nearly one billion euros in revenue by the end of May alone. With over four hundred seventy-nine thousand international visitors in May and significant year-on-year growth, the island’s focus on attracting high-value tourists paid off—positioning it as one of the most successful and strategically advanced destinations in Europe’s tourism landscape.
Cyprus Tourism Revenue Climbs by Over 20% in May 2025 as High-Spending Visitors Power the Sector’s Recovery
Cyprus has continued its strong tourism rebound with a robust increase in earnings for May 2025. The country collected a total of €373.3 million (approximately \$410.7 million) from international tourism during the month, representing a significant 20.2% increase compared to €310.5 million (\$341.6 million) generated in May 2024. The growth reflects Cyprus’s ongoing strategy to prioritize high-value travelers and generate more revenue through quality tourism rather than relying solely on increasing visitor volume.
New figures released through the official Travelers Survey for May 2025 reveal several key insights into visitor behavior, market performance, and economic impact. While the island welcomed 479,160 tourists during the month, the emphasis was clearly on spending power and length of stay—factors considered essential for sustainable tourism growth.
Average Spending Patterns Highlight Changing Travel Priorities
According to the report, the average daily expenditure per tourist stood at €96.18, while per capita spending reached €779.08, based on an average stay of 8.1 days. These figures point to a healthy recovery not just in tourist arrivals, but in the amount each visitor is contributing to the economy—a sign that the country’s tourism mix is tilting toward more valuable segments.
Israeli Tourists Top the Spending Chart
Among the various source markets, Israeli visitors emerged as the most generous spenders in May 2025. Although their average length of stay was relatively short at just 4.1 days, their average daily expenditure was the highest at €153.11, translating to a per capita spend of €627.74. With 45,249 arrivals, Israel ranked as Cyprus’s second-largest source market, making up 9.4% of total arrivals during the month.
Despite spending less time on the island, the financial footprint of Israeli tourists remains significant due to their high daily spending, positioning them as a key target market for Cyprus tourism moving forward.
Swiss and Dutch Tourists Also Among Top Contributors
Following Israeli travelers, Swiss tourists recorded the second-highest spending with a daily average of €144.50, and a total per capita spend of €924.80 over a 6.4-day stay. A total of 7,249 Swiss nationals visited in May, indicating that smaller-volume markets can still deliver outsized economic contributions.
Dutch tourists, while slightly fewer in number (8,078 arrivals), outpaced all others in terms of total per capita spending. With a daily expenditure of €126.12 and an average stay of 7.7 days, their per visitor spend reached €971.15—the highest overall. These figures reinforce the importance of European markets that combine moderate stay duration with above-average spending.
UK Leads in Volume and Extended Holiday Duration
Unsurprisingly, British tourists remained the dominant market in terms of volume. Travelers from the United Kingdom made up the largest share of arrivals in May 2025, representing approximately thirty-seven point four percent of all international visitors, with a total of one hundred seventy-nine thousand one hundred fifty entries recorded. Their spending was solid, with a daily average of €97.77 and a per capita spend of €948.39 over a generous 9.7-day stay—the longest of all groups.
These numbers not only affirm the UK’s historical importance to Cyprus tourism but also demonstrate the value of long-stay visitors in bolstering economic returns.
German, American, and Austrian Visitors Also Stay Longer
In addition to British tourists, several other nationalities showed a tendency to remain longer in Cyprus. German tourists stayed for an average of 8.6 days, while travelers from the United States, Austria, and Sweden all recorded 8.2-day stays. This suggests strong interest from Central and Northern Europe, along with transatlantic travelers, in experiencing Cyprus more deeply.
Polish and Greek Tourists Offer Modest Spending Levels
While Polish tourists made up the third-largest source market with 36,800 arrivals (7.7% of the total), their economic impact per visitor was more modest. With an average daily spend of €90.28 and a per capita figure of €595.84 over 6.6 days, the Polish market is sizeable but not among the most lucrative.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Greek visitors were the most conservative spenders, averaging €60.19 per day and €391.21 per visitor across a 6.5-day stay. Swedish tourists, while staying longer, also fell on the lower end of the spending spectrum, averaging €88.79 daily and €728.01 per capita.
Shortest and Longest Stays by Nationality
According to the findings, tourists visiting Cyprus in May stayed for an average of eight-point-one days. Visitors from the United Kingdom recorded the longest average stay at nine-point-seven days, followed by travelers from Germany with eight-point-six days, and those from Sweden, who typically remained for eight-point-two days. In contrast, the shortest visits were from Israeli (4.1 days) and Italian (6 days) travelers.
Other short-stay groups included Swiss (6.4 days), Greek (6.5 days), and Polish (6.6 days) tourists.
Cumulative Tourism Revenue Surges Through May 2025
The momentum seen in May is part of a broader upward trend in Cyprus tourism throughout the year. From January to May 2025, total tourism revenue reached €955.8 million, reflecting a 27.2% jump compared to €751.2 million during the same period in 2024. This strong performance positions Cyprus as one of the Mediterranean’s most resilient and adaptive tourism economies.
A Strategic Shift Toward Value-Based Tourism
Tourism officials in Cyprus have long stated that their goal is to attract quality-driven travelers, focusing more on economic impact per visitor rather than chasing record arrival numbers. The latest data validates this strategy. Markets with smaller arrival figures, such as Switzerland and the Netherlands, are proving to be especially valuable thanks to their significantly higher average spend.
UK, US, Israel, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Poland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, and Greece helped drive Cyprus’s record-breaking tourism surge in 2025, with longer stays and higher spending powering nearly one billion euros in revenue by May.
With global tourism becoming increasingly competitive and volatile, Cyprus’s measured approach—prioritizing high-revenue segments and encouraging longer stays—appears to be paying off handsomely.
