Cyprus is proving its tourism power yet again, ranking second in the EU for overnight stays by international visitors in the first quarter of 2025. According to newly released data from Eurostat, 85.7% of all tourist accommodation stays in Cyprus between January and March were booked by foreign guests—putting the island just behind Malta (91.2%) and ahead of Luxembourg (80.4%).
This is well above the EU average, where foreign tourists made up around 45.6% of total overnight stays during the same period. Some countries, like Poland (18.6%), Romania (20.1%), and Germany (20.2%), saw far less activity from international travelers, with domestic visitors dominating the scene.
While total overnight stays across the EU slightly dipped by 0.2% compared to Q1 2024, Cyprus managed to hold strong. Eurostat attributes the overall decline to shifting holiday dates—particularly the movement of Carnival and Easter holidays, which affected when people traveled.
January brought in positive results for the EU with 139 million nights (+3.5% vs. Jan 2024), but February (-0.8%) and March (-2.7%) saw some decline.
When it comes to growth, a few countries stood out. Latvia recorded an impressive 18.5% jump in foreign visitor nights, with Malta (+17.2%) and Finland (+10.6%) following close behind. On the flip side, Ireland (-23.1%), Croatia (-16.7%), and Sweden (-11.5%) experienced notable drops in foreign tourist stays.
The bottom line? Cyprus is riding high on its international appeal—and showing no signs of slowing down.
Source: stockwatch.com.cy