NICOSIA: Cyprus is welcoming record numbers of visitors, but shorter stays and tighter wallets, particularly among traditionally big-spending Russians, are biting into revenues, official data showed.

The Mediterranean island’s tourism income plunged 14.6 percent in June to 259 million euros ($287 million), down from 303.2 million euros a year earlier.

That was the biggest decrease since last September, when the figure fell 22.6 percent year-on-year.

It was the third consecutive month that tourist spending was down, despite an increased number of visitors to the island this year.

Arrivals dipped 1.5 percent in June, because of the weaker Russian market, but were up 5.7 percent for the first six months.

Yet revenues slumped 6.1 percent in the first six months, from 778.7 million euros to 730.9 million a year earlier.

The average daily amount spent by tourists in June was down 4.8 percent at 77.79 euros from June 2014, while the average length of stay dropped to 9.9 days from 10.8.

The Cyprus Tourism Organization said the drop in June revenue was heavily influenced by a decline in big-spending visitors from Russia — the island’s second biggest market behind Britain.

The number of Russian arrivals, hit by a deep recession at home and the plunging value of the ruble, fell 22.1 percent in June, while spending dropped 13.5 percent.

Last year, Cyprus tourism generated 2.02 billion euros, a 2.8 percent drop from 2013 when it was 2.08 billion euros. It was the first dip in receipts since 2009.

Income from tourism accounts for around 12 percent of Cypriot GDP.