Press Releases

On the basis of the results of the Passengers Survey, arrivals of tourists reached 55.342 in March 2020 compared to 169.934  in March 2019, recording a decrease of 67,4%. It should be noted that as of 15/3/2020, an entry ban in the Republic was imposed on several categories of persons, including tourists, as part of the measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) in Cyprus.

For the period of January – March 2020, arrivals of tourists totaled 246.556 compared to 357.475 in the corresponding period of 2019, recording a decrease of 31,0% (Table 1).

Analysis of changes

Tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom decreased by 70,2% in March 2020 compared to March 2019, while a decrease of 60,8% was also recorded for tourists from Russia and 66,6% decrease from Greece. Percentage changes from one year to the next for the main countries of usual residence of tourists are presented in Table 1.

Main countries

The United Kingdom constitutes the main source of tourism for Cyprus for March 2020, with a proportion of 34,1%, while arrivals from Russia comprise 17,7% of total arrivals, from Greece 8,4%  and from Israel 4,1% (Table 2).                                                                                                           

Purpose of visit

For a percentage of 71,7% of tourists, the purpose of their trip in March 2020 was holidays, for 14,7% visit to friends and relatives and for 13,5% business (Table 3).

Methodological notes 

Definitions

Tourists – Visitors who stay for at least one night in Cyprus.

Tourist arrivals – The term refers to the number of trips and not to the number of persons. This differs in the sense that one person can take more than one trips during the reference period.

Source of data and coverage

The data are obtained from the Passengers Survey which is conducted in the arrivals and departures halls in the airports of Larnaka and Pafos, as well as from administrative sources such as the monthly arrivals at ports.

The survey covers all persons who pass through passport control at the ports and airports in the Government controlled area of Cyprus. It does not include travelers who arrive and depart illegally via ports and airports in the occupied part of Cyprus.

The weighting of data is conducted based on the data sent to the Statistical Service by the Civil Aviation Department and from the ship manifests, as well as data sent by the Analysis and Statistics Office of the Cyprus Police.

Impact of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19)

Following the decrees published by the Government of Cyprus and the measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the Passengers Survey was only conducted during the period 1-15/3/2020. It should be noted, that as a result of the specific measures, an entry ban in the Republic was imposed on several categories of persons, including tourists, as of 15/3/2020.

For more information:

Statistical Service (CYSTAT) Website, subtheme Tourism

Contact

Lucy Panayidou: Tel.:+35722602152, E-mail: lpanagidou@cystat.mof.gov.cy

(ND/II)