AI Cyprus Expo plans Limassol return as Cyprus discusses shipping ties with China

Limassol, Cyprus. The AI Cyprus Expo will return to Limassol in April of next year. Organiser Empactio aims to develop it into a regional platform for applied artificial intelligence and business collaboration across the Eastern Mediterranean.

Plans for the AI Cyprus Expo

Empactio told the Cyprus Mail exclusively that it plans to expand the event and develop its technology platform. The company also wants to position Limassol as a gateway for applied AI.

Empactio was founded by Maxim Monzer and Briken Bufi, neither of whom came from the traditional events industry. Bufi has spent more than a decade building and training startups and has a background in sales, operations and growth. He is also founder and CEO of Sainni AI and Aella Creative Force.

Monzer has a background in architecture and an MBA. He has worked across startups, fintech and events, including as founder and CEO of Kartatek.

Cyprus-China maritime discussions

Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis and China’s new ambassador, Yang Yundong, discussed seafarers, maritime education and coordination at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) ahead of Hadjimanolis’s planned visit to China.

During a courtesy meeting, they reviewed areas of mutual maritime interest, including the longstanding agreement governing shipping relations and the scope for closer cooperation in maritime education. They also discussed seafarers’ wellbeing, which Cyprus has placed increasingly high on its shipping agenda this year alongside training and the future maritime workforce.

Cyprus and China signed an Agreement on Maritime Transport on August 29, 1990. A protocol amending it was signed in December 2003 and entered into force in 2005.

Tourist accommodation nights

Cyprus recorded the largest fall in tourist accommodation nights in the EU during the first half of 2026, down 7.71 per cent year on year, according to a Destination Finder analysis of Eurostat data.