Greece and UK top Cypriots’ travel choices, Eurostat shows

Cypriots’ travel choices in 2024 leaned heavily towards Greece and the United Kingdom, with overseas trips accounting for the bulk of spending, according to Eurostat data.

Cypriots made a total of 3.3 million trips during the year, generating 18 million overnight stays and expenditure of €2.4 billion. Just over half of those trips, 51.9 per cent, were taken abroad.

Even so, they accounted for a far larger share of activity, representing 73.4 per cent of overnight stays and 87.3 per cent of total travel spending.

When broken down by destination, Greece emerged as the clear favourite. It attracted 34.7 per cent of all trips made by Cypriots, while accounting for 26.2 per cent of overnight stays and 26 per cent of total expenditure.

The United Kingdom followed, with 10.5 per cent of trips abroad, 15.3 per cent of nights spent and 11.6 per cent of overall spending.

Other destinations featured differently depending on the measure used. Italy, Germany and the Netherlands ranked next in terms of the number of trips, while Bulgaria, the US and Romania followed when measured by overnight stays.

In terms of expenditure, Italy was again prominent, alongside the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

The figures also place Cypriot travel patterns within a broader European context. Across the EU in 2024, the average trip lasted five nights, comprising four nights for domestic travel and eight nights for trips abroad.

Nearly three-quarters of all trips made by EU residents were within their country of residence.

EU residents spent a total of €618 billion on tourist trips during the year, equivalent to an average of €518 per person per trip.

Overall, 29 per cent of trips involved travel abroad, with 21 per cent to another EU country and 8 per cent to destinations outside the bloc.

Italy and Spain dominated as the most popular foreign destinations for Europeans. Italy ranked first in terms of the number of trips abroad, accounting for 10.7 per cent, followed closely by Spain at 10.4 per cent.

Spain, however, led in both nights spent and expenditure, with shares of 11.7 per cent and 11.1 per cent respectively, ahead of Italy’s 10.2 per cent and 9.7 per cent.

Italy was the main destination for more than a third of all trips abroad by Maltese residents and also topped the list for travellers from Romania, Italy, Greece and Germany.

By contrast, Spain was the preferred destination for French, Italian and Portuguese travellers, particularly among Portuguese residents, where it accounted for nearly 40 per cent of trips abroad.

Travel outside the EU remained more limited, representing around 8 per cent of all tourist trips. The United Kingdom, Turkey and Switzerland were the most popular non-EU destinations.

Trips beyond the European continent were even fewer, making up 13.1 per cent of all travel abroad, split relatively evenly between Africa, Asia and the US.