Cyprus citizens spent €1.4 billion on travel abroad during 2022

Cyprus citizens had a significant impact on the global travel industry in 2022, spending an astounding €1.4 billion on trips abroad. This increase in expenditure is indicative of a recovery in leisure and recreational travel as opposed to the prior year, while COVID-19 restrictions were still in place.

The number of outward travels by residents of Cyprus increased to 1,234,615 in 2022, a remarkable 162.1 percent rise from the 471,119 trips recorded in 2021, according to data from CySTAT's Survey on travelling.

Sixty-six percent of these trips were for personal reasons, which included health-related travel, pilgrimages, and leisure trips as well as visits with family and friends. In contrast, 13.6% of the trips were taken for work-related reasons.

When we focus on personal travel, the data shows a notable increase in the number of citizens taking overseas trips for leisure and other non-business purposes. 158,294 residents made such trips in 2022, a significant increase of 110.5% over the 75,204 individuals who did so in 2021.

On the other hand, there was a little decline in domestic travel, with 1,689,154 trips made within Cyprus in 2022 compared to 1,870,923 in 2021, a 9.7% decrease.

Financially speaking, outbound expenses increased significantly in 2022, reaching €1,394.5 million, a strong 185.2% rise over the year before. The greatest amount of this expenditures, or 34.3% of the total, went towards the cost of transportation.