Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus’ tourism sector is showing signs of stabilisation after the United States and the United Kingdom revised their travel advisories for the island, a move seen as helping restore confidence in Cyprus as a safe destination. Officials and industry representatives said the change was positive, though they remained cautious about how quickly it would affect bookings.
Officials see move towards normalisation
Deputy Tourism Minister Costas Koumis described the revision as a positive development, saying Cyprus tourism is moving towards a period of normalisation after months of disruption linked to regional tensions.
Speaking to CyBC, Koumis said the British market has long been Cyprus’ largest source of tourists, although arrivals from the United Kingdom recorded a significant decline in the first four months of the year because of developments in Akrotiri.
He added that May closed with only a very small decrease in passenger traffic and expressed confidence that the sector is now on a more stable path.
Industry remains cautiously optimistic
The revision of the travel advisories was also welcomed by tourism stakeholders, although industry figures remain cautious over how quickly the change will feed through into bookings.
Association of Cyprus Tourism Enterprises (Stek) president Akis Vavlitis said there was “moderate optimism” that conditions would improve following the US and UK decision, adding that the real impact would become clear over the next two to three weeks.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Vavlitis said the development had pleased the tourism industry, as the change carries both practical and psychological weight.
“There is a moderate optimism that things will improve due to the US and UK decision, but it will be seen in the next two to three weeks how positively it will affect,” he said.
He added that if bookings increase over the coming weeks, it would suggest the travel advice had been one of the factors holding demand back.
Broader market signal
Beyond Britain’s importance as Cyprus’ largest tourist market, Vavlitis said the decision also sends a broader message to European and Middle Eastern markets, where confidence had been affected by the earlier warnings.