According to the report, this represents a significant 27.4 per cent increase when compared to January 2024. This boost is largely due to a sharp rise in tourists from Israel, who topped the list with 21.1 per cent of the total arrivals in January 2025, amounting to 23,704 visitors.

Following Israel, the United Kingdom contributed 16.7 per cent (18,701) of the arrivals, with Poland and Greece also featuring prominently, providing 14.1 per cent (15,791) and 10.1 per cent (11,288) of the tourist numbers respectively. A detailed breakdown reveals diverse changes in arrivals from different countries. Austria saw a 35.3 per cent year-on-year increase, while France experienced an 18.6 per cent decline. Furthermore, Germany’s arrivals increased by 39.4 per cent when compared to the same month last year. Noteworthy is Israel’s surge in tourist numbers, which increased by a staggering 159.1 per cent from the previous year.

When it comes to the reasons for visiting, 56.4 per cent of tourists came to Cyprus for holidays in January 2025—a slight drop from 60.8 per cent in the same month the previous year. Visits to friends and relatives made up 24.5 per cent, and business travel accounted for 19 per cent. On the flip side, outbound travel from Cyprus saw a small decline. In January 2025, 147,858 residents returned from overseas trips, down 3.7 per cent from 153,499 in the previous year. The top destinations were Greece, attracting 29.9 per cent of travellers, followed by the United Kingdom and Russia, with 11.2 per cent and 4.5 per cent, respectively.

Finally, the report showed that the majority of people, 78.1 per cent, travelled for holidays.

Source: Cyprus Mail