Cyprus tourism boosted by online rental bookings

Cyprus recorded nearly 2 million guest nights in short-term rentals during the second quarter of 2025, according to Eurostat, highlighting continued growth in platform-based tourism across the European Union.

Eurostat reported that guests spent 398.1 million nights across the EU in short-term rental accommodation between July and September 2025, with bookings made through platforms such as Airbnb, Booking and Expedia.

The statistical office reported that the total number of guest nights in the third quarter of 2025 rose by 8.7 per cent compared with the same quarter of 2024.

Compared with the third quarter of 2023, guest nights increased by a strong 28.2 per cent across the EU.

The largest year-on-year monthly increase was recorded in July 2025, when nights spent in short-term rentals rose by 10.0 per cent.

August and September each recorded annual growth of 8.0 per cent, Eurostat said.

The data form part of monthly statistics on short-stay accommodation offered via online platforms, which Eurostat released at national level for the third quarter of 2025 and at regional level for the second quarter of 2025.

In Cyprus, guests booked 1.96 million nights in short-term rental accommodation between April and June 2025, according to the same dataset.

The figures place Cyprus among the active short-term rental markets in the EU, reflecting strong demand during the spring and early summer travel season.

At regional level across the bloc, Andalucia emerged as the most popular destination, recording 13.3 million guest nights in the second quarter of 2025.

It was followed by Jadranska Hrvatska in Croatia with 9.6 million nights and Île-de-France in France with 9.0 million nights.

Eurostat said the 20 most popular tourist regions in the EU during the period were concentrated in just five countries.

Of those regions, Spain and France each accounted for six, while Italy had five, Portugal two and Croatia one.

The concentration of demand highlights the continued dominance of major tourism markets, even as platform-based accommodation expands across smaller destinations such as Cyprus.

In related news, Cyprus’ tourism revenue recorded strong growth in October 2025 and over the first ten months of the year, according to data released by the Cyprus Statistical Service.

Tourism revenue reached €458.60 million in October, up 12.4 per cent from €407.90 million a year earlier, while revenue for the period from January to October rose by 15 per cent year on year to €3.43 billion.

Despite higher overall earnings, the data showed a decline in average spending per visitor, with expenditure per person falling by 4 per cent to €852.80 in October.

Visitors from the United Kingdom accounted for 31.4 per cent of arrivals, spending €108.42 per day, while Israeli tourists spent €132.12 daily and German visitors €111.79 per day.