Greek Cypriot Crossings Into North Continue To Decline Sharply
Crossings by Greek Cypriots into the north of Cyprus through land border points continued to decline in the first two months of 2026.
After reaching an all-time high in 2023, visits from the south fell sharply in 2024 and 2025, with the downward trend continuing into 2026.
A total of 307,349 crossings were recorded in January–February 2026, marking a 16.87% decrease compared to 2025 and a 28.15% drop compared to 2024. In the same period, crossings stood at 369,721 in 2025 and 427,741 in 2024.
The surge in visits in the post-pandemic period—driven in part by the Turkish lira’s sharp depreciation against the euro, which made the north a relatively “cheap destination”—has since reversed as prices rose in the north, leading to a slowdown in crossings.
Annual data also reflects the downward trend. Greek Cypriot crossings into the north totaled 3,063,408 in 2023. This fell by 7.4% to 2,836,884 in 2024 and further dropped by 15.45% to 2,398,498 in 2025.
Slight Increase In Other Nationalities
Crossings by “other foreign nationals” via land border points increased slightly in January–February 2026, rising by 1.33% compared to the same period in the previous year—from 221,782 to 224,739. However, this figure remained below the 2024 level of 247,650.
Among nationalities, German citizens accounted for 4,817 crossings, followed by Russian nationals with 4,220, Iranian nationals with 3,385, Pakistani nationals with 2,704, and British nationals with 2,283 entries.
No data was provided in the report regarding Turkish Cypriot crossings to the south. Historically lower than Greek Cypriot crossings for years, these figures reportedly reversed in 2024. Archival data shows that Turkish Cypriot crossings to the south stood at 425,687 in January–February 2024 and increased to 511,647 in 2025. It is estimated that these numbers were surpassed in 2026.
Source: Haber Kıbrıs
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