Foreign visitors drive over nine in ten Cyprus tourist stays

Cyprus recorded the steepest decline in tourist accommodation overnight stays in the EU during the first half of 2026, with nights spent in hotels and other tourist accommodation falling by 7.7 per cent when compared with the same period last year, according to Eurostat data.

The decline placed Cyprus at the bottom of the EU rankings, as overall tourism accommodation activity across the bloc increased during the first six months of the year.

Eurostat reported that there were 1.321 billion overnight stays in tourist accommodation across the EU between January and June 2026, up 1.7 per cent from 1.299 billion in the first half of 2025.

Cyprus was one of nine EU countries to record a decline in overnight stays over the period, with its 7.7 per cent drop the largest fall among member states.

Romania recorded the second-largest decrease, with overnight stays falling by 6.7 per cent.

The strongest increases were recorded in Ireland, where overnight stays rose by 14.6 per cent, followed by Malta with a 9.9 per cent increase and Slovakia with growth of 5.9 per cent.

Despite the fall in total overnight stays, Cyprus remained one of the EU destinations most dependent on foreign visitors.

Non-residents accounted for 92.6 per cent of all overnight stays in Cyprus during the first half of 2026, the second-highest proportion in the EU.

Only Malta recorded a higher share, at 95.2 per cent, while Luxembourg followed Cyprus with 87.7 per cent.

The decrease in tourist overnight stays came as Cyprus was severely affected by the war in Iran, which disrupted travel patterns and weakened demand from key international markets during the period.

The conflict and its wider regional repercussions placed additional pressure on Cyprus’ tourism sector, contributing to the sharp fall in overnight stays recorded during the first half of 2026.

Across the EU as a whole, foreign visitors accounted for 48.9 per cent of all overnight stays during the first six months of the year.

The figures highlight the unusually high reliance of Cyprus’ tourism accommodation sector on visitors from abroad compared with most other EU countries.

At the other end of the scale, foreign guests accounted for less than a quarter of overnight stays in Germany, Poland and Romania.

Germany recorded the lowest foreign share at 18.5 per cent, followed by Poland at 19.8 per cent and Romania at 23.0 per cent.

The overall increase in EU accommodation activity was driven more strongly by international tourism than domestic travel.

Overnight stays by foreign visitors increased by 2.5 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.

By comparison, nights spent by domestic visitors increased by just 0.9 per cent.

The growth in foreign visitor nights was therefore almost three times as high as the increase in domestic visitor nights.

For Cyprus, the figures underline the importance of international tourism to the sector, with more than nine out of every 10 overnight stays recorded during the first half of the year involving visitors who were not residents of the country.

The decline in Cyprus contrasts sharply with the broader EU trend, where total overnight stays increased despite differences between individual tourism markets.

The Eurostat figures cover overnight stays in tourist accommodation establishments across the EU during the first six months of 2026.