In 2025, tourism in the country is expected to once again achieve record performance, while for 2026 we are optimistic that the positive trend in tourism will continue, Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis said on Friday during the discussion in the Parliamentary Committee on Finance regarding the budget of the Deputy Ministry for the year 2026.
In his presentation to the committee members, Koumis said that the Deputy Ministry’s goal is to stabilize tourism at high levels and increase the sector’s contribution to the country’s economic development.
He added that the amended National Tourism Strategy is expected to be approved soon, while for 2026, actions are planned to promote the country abroad and for a modern licensing and operating framework in the tourism sector.
Regarding the contribution of tourism to the economy, he said that in 2025 it reached 14% of GDP, up from 13.3% in 2024. Similarly, tourist arrivals between January and September 2025 recorded an increase of 10.3% compared to the same period last year and 41% over a three-year period.
He noted in particular that the first nine months of 2025 were the best in the country’s tourism history, with Cyprus recording the largest increase in the EU in terms of stays in licensed accommodation.
He added that Cyprus also ranks first among all European Mediterranean countries in terms of tourism revenue growth for the first half of the year, with tourism revenues for that period rising by 21.3%.
Regarding the Deputy Ministry’s budget for 2026, Koumis said that it amounts to pound 74.6 million, of which pound 27.7 million (37.1%) has been budgeted for information campaigns and promotional activities, pound 14.9 million (20%) for expenses related to subsidy schemes mainly concerning the improvement of the tourism product, pound 19.5 million (25%) is for operational expenses, of which pound 6.1 million (8.2%) is for hosting the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, while the rest is budgeted for other expenses.
The Deputy Minister also referred to the green transition in the tourism sector, saying that appropriations have been allocated for studies on environmental impacts within the framework of the National Tourism Strategy, a modern model for the development and management of the tourism sector, and the recording of the current situation.
“In 2025, tourism in our country is expected to once again achieve record performance, and we are optimistic that the positive trend in tourism will continue in 2026. However, I consider it very important to point out that success in the tourism sector can never be taken for granted,” he continued.
Referring to the main actions of the Deputy Ministry, Koumis focused on the effort to maintain the competitiveness of Cypriot tourism, with an emphasis on quality and respect for the principles of sustainable development, highlighting the country’s comparative advantages and further strengthening promotional activities, through a mix of digital and conventional actions, upgrading tourism education and improving the visitor experience, always with respect for local communities.
“The ultimate goal, of course, is to lay a strong foundation for the future of tourism in our country,” he concluded.
In the discussion that followed, DISY MP Savia Orphanidou highlighted issues in relation to Cyprus’ air connectivity, particularly in view of the Cyprus EU Presidency, and asked whether the problem of access for foreign missions had been addressed.
Referring to air connectivity, Koumis said that according to data from the Aviation Council International last June, Cyprus ranked second at the European level in terms of improving air connectivity when comparing 2025 with 2019, while it ranked first in the comparison of 2025/2024, as a result of the addition of direct flights from airports in Europe and the Middle East.
Regarding the Cyprus Presidency, he said that there is indeed a gap in the direct connection between Larnaca Airport and Brussels, adding that a relevant tender process is underway by the Ministry of Transport.
On behalf of AKEL, MP Costas Costa asked whether steps are being taken to attract tourists from China, while his colleague, Giannakis Gavriel, spoke of the weakening of foreign promotion offices in recent years.
In response, Koumis said that the Deputy Ministry is investing in the Chinese market so that, in the long term, it can claim a direct air link, which is not feasible at this stage for commercial reasons.
The Permanent Secretary of the Deputy Ministry, Costas Constantinou, said regarding staffing at offices abroad that there are no longer any office managers as local staff, but that daily coordination with central management takes place.
DIPA MP Marinos Moushouttas asked what the most emblematic actions of the Deputy Ministry were in view of the Cyprus Presidency.
In his response, the Deputy Minister said that efforts had been made to provide accommodation facilities for visitors in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Cyprus Presidency, adding that this is an opportunity to re-approach the Belgian and Dutch markets.