Tourist arrivals, key to Cyprus's economy, plummeted 23 per cent last month following the eruption of the Icelandic volcano that severely disrupted flights across Europe, according to officials.

Arrivals last month reached 139,658 against 181,395 in April last month, and at least 20,000 holidaymakers failed to make it to the eastern Mediterranean island, even though both of its international airports remained open.

More than 350 flights between Cyprus and Britain and northern Europe - the country's major tourism markets - were cancelled.

Visitors from Britain and Germany had helped tourist arrivals grow by 14.8 per cent in March - the first rise in 15 months - but April suffered a stark reversal.

There was a 25.8 per cent dip in arrivals from Britain, the island's largest source of holidaymakers, and a 13.5 per cent decrease from Germany.

For the four months through April, arrivals fell by 8.2 per cent to 344,644 from a year earlier.