Cyprus is seeking to lift tourist arrivals during the winter season, Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis said after meetings in Israel, where he highlighted the country’s rapid rise as one of Cyprus’ strongest source markets.
Koumis met with Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz during the IMTM tourism fair and held talks with major industry partners.
Israel delivered a record 588,000 arrivals in 2025 — the first time the figure surpassed half a million — placing it second only to the United Kingdom.
Arrivals were up 38.4% from 2024 and more than doubled compared with 2022.
Per‑capita spending by Israeli visitors reached €682 between January and November 2025, a 2.9% increase from the previous year and 13.4% higher than in 2022.
“The Israeli market remains one of our most important,” Koumis said. “We discussed global tourism issues and set priorities for boosting winter arrivals and strengthening special‑interest tourism.”
During the visit, Koumis also met Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and gave interviews to Israeli outlets Passport News and I24 News.