By Nathan Morley
The arrivals of tourists reached 459.106 in October 2024 compared to 426.272 in October 2023, recording an increase of 7,7%.
Arrivals from the United Kingdom were the main source of tourism for October 2024, with a share of 36,3% (166.588) of total arrivals, followed by Poland with 8,1% (37.010), Germany with 7,6% (34.822), Israel with 5,2% (24.088) and Sweden with 4,1% (18.713).
For a percentage of 79,9% of tourists, the purpose of their trip in October 2024 was holidays, for 11,9% visit to friends and relatives and for 8,1% business. Respectively, in October 2023, 82,5% of tourists visited Cyprus for holidays, 10,9% visited friends or relatives and 6,4% visited Cyprus for business reasons (Table).
| Table | |||
| Purpose of Visit | Percentage (%) | ||
| Oct.2022 | Oct.2023 | Oct.2024 | |
| Holidays | 83,1 | 82,5 | 79,9 |
| Visiting friends & relatives | 11,5 | 10,9 | 11,9 |
| Business | 5,3 | 6,4 | 8,1 |
Returns of Residents of Cyprus
A total number of 137.095 residents of Cyprus returned from a trip abroad in October 2024 compared to 131.327 in the corresponding month last year, recording an increase of 4,4%.
The main countries from which residents of Cyprus returned in October 2024 were Greece with a share of 35,0% (47.990), the United Kingdom with 8,3% (11.415) and Italy with 7,3% (10.048).
The purpose of travel for the residents of Cyprus in October 2024 was mainly holidays, with a percentage of 66,5%, whilst business reasons held a percentage of 30,8%, studies 1,0% and other reasons 1,7%.