This year is pivotal for Cyprus’ tourism, President Nikos Christodoulides, has said, addressing the General Assembly of the Cyprus Hotel Association (PASYXE), in Nicosia.
Speaking at the 1 July event, he said that for the government, tourism is not only a sector with a strong contribution to the country’s economy but also a key pillar of economic development that creates multiple benefits and that, among his administration’s priorities, was to return to past high performances as regards tourism.
President Christodoulides said their efforts have borne fruit, something that is also reflected “in the high performance recorded by our tourism in 2024, both in terms of arrivals and revenue.” For the first time ever he added, “in 2024 we exceeded 4 million in tourist arrivals, while revenues have exceeded 3 billion euros, a contribution that is not negligible, if we take into account the challenges through which the tourism sector has gone.”
Another good tourism year
At the same time, he expressed “great satisfaction” with the fact that the entire sector “is experiencing another good tourism year this year” with arrivals and revenue statistics continuing to record a steady upward trend in the first half of 2025.
Despite the challenges in the region, he said, and the broader economic and geopolitical environment, “figures so far for the January-May period record a 14.9% increase, compared to the corresponding period last year, while the increase over a three-year horizon, compared to 2022, reaches 58.4%.”
He also said that “the picture is also encouraging in terms of tourism revenues, for the period between January and March 2025, which are estimated to have increased by almost 25%.” The President said that these figures were “the result of the coordinated effort we are making to compensate for the losses caused by unforeseen international events, which affected our important tourism markets, such as Russia and Israel.”
The ongoing war in Ukraine, the recent Israel-Iran conflict, the situation in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region, especially after the terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, he said, “are reinforcing geopolitical instability and are inevitably affecting once again the sensitive tourism sector, especially in the midst of the summer season.”
In this unpredictable setting, he added, Cyprus continues to be “a pillar of security, a bridge for cooperation and a space of coexistence and recreation for people from different cultures, languages and religions.”
Enriching the tourism product
The President also noted that lack of specialised human resources, energy costs, water scarcity, high temperatures and other impacts of the climate crisis, the need to upgrade infrastructure and enrich the tourism product, were problems that the Government is concerned with on “a permanent basis” adding that they were making efforts to address these challenges through practical, sustainable and permanent solutions. At the same time, he assured that the Government would continue to support the hotel sector and the wider tourism industry of Cyprus in every way.
He said that “the time has come to focus on the dimension of sustainable tourism development.” which, he said, was “beyond any doubt, the key to continuing the evolutionary path of tourism in our country” and referred to the incentive schemes “with a strong green dimension,” announced by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism.
Noting that 2025 “is a year of key importance for Cyprus’ tourism,” the President referred to the government’s strategic priorities and said that “among our main orientations is the upgrading of individual tourist destinations with a focus on sustainable development and the geographical diffusion of tourism throughout the country.” “We seek to build a tourism product that will highlight the comparative advantages of our country from the mountainous communities to the coastal zone,” he added.
“Our policies also focus on tourism education – it is important to link education with the job market – and the cultivation of tourism awareness, which are a prerequisite for enhancing the quality of services provided and upgrading the visitor experience, important and necessary components in a period of intense competition,” he stressed.
Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Referring to Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the European Union from January 2026, President Christodoulides said that Nicosia will also have the opportunity to highlight the numerous challenges facing the tourism sector, such as climate change and its impacts, “which looms as the most significant threat to all, especially Mediterranean destinations.”
In her opening remarks, Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, said that Presidency of the Council of the EU by Cyprus in the first half of 2026 “is of decisive and strategic importance for upgrading the image of our country internationally.”
“The Cyprus Presidency of 2026 is a national undertaking, and the contribution of the tourism sector to its success is decisive,” she said, adding that, with synergies and strategic preparation, “we can transform the opportunities it offers into a considerable benefit for our society and economy, but also for the image of our country in the EU and internationally.”
Noting that tourism was “a key pillar” of Cyprus’ economy and plays a key role in employment, development and the country’s extroversion, Raouna said that this sector will be included in the themes that the Cyprus Presidency intends to highlight during its term.
Referring to the consultations launched by the European Commission on the development of the new tourism strategy, she said that consultations would contribute to the shaping of policies that concern and influence the future of the sector, “which is why the active participation in it of the bodies representing the Cypriot tourism ecosystem is of paramount importance.”
Promoting the tourism portfolio
“In this context, and in line with the broader priorities of the Union, our Presidency aims to further promote the tourism portfolio, focusing on strengthening the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the EU tourism product,” she added.
“The objective of our Presidency,” Raouna said, “is to highlight policies that promote balanced, inclusive and sustainable tourism models.” She also said that the Cyprus Presidency is to organise an informal meeting of EU Tourism Ministers in Cyprus in June 2026.
“Our goal and aspiration are for our Presidency to be a tool for meaningful support of our hotel and tourism industry,” she said, noting that the Cyprus Presidency is expected to have direct and significant benefits for businesses in the sector, both during and after.
The Deputy Minister said that, with over 250 meetings in Cyprus, including Informal Councils, Working Group meetings, Committees and other conferences, the country is expected to host a total of over 30,000 delegates from all EU Member States during the first half of 2026.
In addition, during the six-month period of the Cyprus Presidency, the food industry is also expected to benefit directly, while a significant number of excursion programmes have also been included in the framework of the meetings, she said.
“Through the provision of high-quality services from an expanded network of hotel units, conference venues, catering venues and other supporting infrastructure, our country will have the opportunity to create added value and multiple benefits for businesses in the sector and for the economy,” she stressed.
Referring to the 91st HOTREC General Assembly, the Association of Hotels, Restaurants & Cafés in Europe, which will be held in Cyprus in October 2025, shortly before the Cyprus EU Presidency, the Deputy Minister said it is “an international-scale event concerning the tourism industry, which the Government intends to support with its institutional participation, recognising its importance for our country.”
(Sources: CNA, PIO)
