Arrivals in Cyprus down by 79.9% in 2020

The number of people who travelled to Cyprus fell by 79.9% in 2020 compared to 2019 while people departing from the country also recorded a drop of 80.1%, data released by the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat), on Monday, show.

In particular, the arrivals of travellers in December 2020 reached 30,099 compared to 273,714 in December 2019, recording a decrease of 89.0%.

The decrease is mainly attributed to the drop in the arrivals of tourists (91.2%) as well as to the decrease in the return of residents of Cyprus (87.6%). Concerning the departures of travellers from the island, a decrease of 88.6% was recorded in December 2020 as compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.

During the period of January – December 2020, arrivals of travellers reached 1,161,079 compared to 5,777,029 in the corresponding period of 2019, recording a decrease of 79.9%. Concerning the departures of travellers during the same period, a decrease of 80.1% was also recorded.

CyStat notes that during the period 15/3 - 8/6/2020, an entry ban in the Republic of Cyprus, was imposed on several categories of persons, including tourists, as part of the measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).