Tourism in Cyprus: who spends the most and stays the longest?

According to the most recent CySTAT data, Cyprus is expected to set new records for both revenue and visitor arrivals. This makes it a good time to investigate how much money tourists spend and how long they remain on the island.

Growth in tourism revenue

Tourism revenue in Cyprus saw notable growth in 2024. During the January-September period, revenue increased by 4.9% compared to the same period in 2023, and an impressive 31% compared to 2022. Specifically, tourism revenue for September 2024 reached €454.1 million, a 6% rise from €428.4 million in September 2023.

For the first nine months of 2024, total revenue is estimated at €2,575.9 million, surpassing the €2,456.1 million recorded during the same period in 2023.

Spending habits of visitors

A detailed examination of the data shows that Dutch visitors spend the most money overall throughout their stay in Cyprus, whereas Israeli tourists spend the most money per day.

Dutch tourists spent most money per person in September, at €1,287.52, while Israeli tourists spent the most amount per day, €150.63.

Who stays the longest?

Greek tourists topped the numbers for the longest stays, averaging 11.6 days, followed by Dutch visitors with an average stay of 11.1 days.

Insights into the "Big Five" tourism markets

Cyprus's primary tourism markets, Israel, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, and Greece, show varying spending patterns:

United Kingdom: British tourists stayed an average of 10.2 days. Their daily spending was €112.35, with a total expenditure of €1,145.96 per person.

Israel: Israelis spent €150.63 per day over an average stay of 4.6 days, and results in €692.90 per person.

Poland: Polish visitors, staying 6.9 days on average, spent €88.96 daily, amounting to €613.84 per person.

Germany: German tourists averaged a 9.1-day stay, spending €104.69 per day and €952.70 in total per person.

Greece: Greek visitors, despite staying the longest at 11.6 days, had the lowest daily spending at €40.78, with total expenditure at €473.01 per person.