Nicosia promotes year-round tourism to attract more visitors from Greece

Nicosia, Cyprus. Nicosia is seeking to attract more visitors from Greece by promoting its culture, gastronomy, events and surrounding countryside as a year-round tourism offering, according to Nicosia regional tourism board (Etap Nicosia) president Theodoros Kringou.

Tourism ties with Greece

Speaking to Greek tourism and business representatives at a recent event in Athens, Kringou highlighted the close travel links between the two countries. He said Nicosia could offer Greek visitors a combination of short city breaks, cultural experiences, food, nature and professional travel.

More than 12,000 visitors from Greece travelled to Cyprus in July 2026, while more than 80,000 Cyprus residents travelled to Greece that month, according to Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat) figures cited by Kringou.

Cyprus welcomed 4.53 million tourists in 2025, an increase of 12.2 per cent compared with the previous year.

Winter tourism opportunities

Kringou also cited research by Hermes Airports indicating that Nicosia has been attracting a significant proportion of visitors during winter.

Among non-Cypriot survey respondents, 14 per cent identified Nicosia as their main city of stay during winter. Visitors aged between 18 and 35 accounted for 46 per cent in summer and 48 per cent in winter.

“These findings give us the opportunity to develop travel proposals and short breaks outside the summer season, based on culture, gastronomy and events in the city,” Kringou said.

Flights and road connections

Kringou said Nicosia’s accessibility made it suitable for the Greek market, with 90 flights a week linking Athens and Larnaca during October.

The road journey from Larnaca airport to Nicosia takes around 40 minutes, allowing visitors to combine a city stay with excursions across the wider district.

“The very good connectivity and accessibility to Nicosia allows us to develop and propose to the Greek market a trip that combines culture, gastronomy and the countryside of the district,” Kringou said.