Tourist flow growing: German tourists strengthen positions in Northern Cyprus

In the first two months of 2026, the number of foreign visitors to the occupied territories exceeded 390,000 people. Turkish citizens still make up the main share, but statistics record noticeable changes in the structure of the tourist flow.

According to local sources, the greatest growth was shown by tourists from Germany - their number increased by almost 75% compared to last year and reached 4,817 people for January–February.

The flow from Pakistan also grew significantly - by 38%, to 2,704 visitors. The number of tourists from Israel increased by 23.2%, reaching 1,676 people.

Against this background, a decrease in the number of guests from Iran was recorded - by almost 29%, to 3,385 people.

Overall, out of 390,516 foreign visitors, 345,847 were Turkish citizens, and another 44,669 were tourists from other countries. Meanwhile, the total passenger flow, including local residents, reached 460,031 people arriving by air and sea.

Experts note that despite the dominance of the Turkish market, the growth in the number of European and Asian tourists points to a gradual diversification of the tourist flow. Germany stands out in particular, where interest in the region has noticeably intensified over the last year.

At the same time, the overall increase in the number of foreign guests remains moderate — about 5% among "other foreigners", which indicates the ongoing dependence of tourism on one key direction.