Protaras, Cyprus. Photo: Sapir Peretz Silberman Cyprus is recording a new tourism record, and one of its neighbors continues to play a central role in the island's tourism industry. Official data released today (Monday, October 19, 2026) by the Cyprus Central Bureau of Statistics reveals that during the month of September, the island recorded 580,889 tourist arrivals, compared to 570,635 in September 2025, an increase of 1.8%.
This is the highest number of tourist arrivals ever recorded in Cyprus in September, indicating a recovery in the tourism industry after declines in previous months.
The United Kingdom continues to lead the list of countries from which tourists come to Cyprus. During September, 184,345 tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom were recorded, constituting 31.7% of all arrivals, an increase of 2.8% compared to September 2025.
Israel is in second place with 105,249 entries, with a significant gap from the other countries.
The sharp growth in the Israeli market is also notable against the backdrop of previous months' data.
From July to September, Cyprus recorded 360,170 tourist arrivals from Israel, compared to 262,269 in the same period in 2025. This is an increase of 97,901 arrivals, or approximately 37.3%.
The data indicates that the Israeli market remains one of the most prominent growth engines for Cypriot tourism, even as several European source markets record declines.
Poland ranks third with 41,636 arrivals, a decrease of 7.5% compared to last year, followed by Germany with 30,362 arrivals, a decrease of 11.6%.
Greece ranks with 19,995 arrivals, an increase of 16.1%, followed by Sweden with 18,656 arrivals, a decrease of 9.3%.
Alongside the September peak, the cumulative data presents a more complex picture. During the first nine months of 2026, Cyprus recorded 3,401,538 tourist arrivals, compared to 3,604,790 in the same period in 2025.
This is a decrease of 5.6%, reflecting a gap of more than 203,000 tourist arrivals compared to last year.
However, the trend in recent months indicates a narrowing of the gap. In the January-August period, the cumulative decline was 7%, and in the January-September period, it narrowed to 5.6%.
Official data also reveals the purposes of the visit of tourists who arrived in Cyprus in September.
84.8% of tourists came for vacation, 9.8% to visit friends and family, and 5.2% for business.
The vacation arrival rate matches that of September 2025, highlighting Cyprus' status as a major vacation destination.
With a new tourism record for September, Cyprus is ending the summer season with clear signs of recovery, even if the road to erasing the cumulative decline since the beginning of the year is still long.