Cyprus expects its tourism decline to ease to around 5% by the end of 2026 after arrivals fell 8% in the first seven months of the year, Deputy Minister for Tourism Costas Koumis said on Sunday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of new cycling routes in Troulloi, Koumis said the year had started strongly, with January and February recording the best results ever for those months in Cypriot tourism.
“In other words, we had the best January and the best February we have ever had,” he said.
Koumis said the situation changed after a drone strike on the British base at Akrotiri on 1 March, which triggered widespread disruption to air travel.
According to the deputy minister, around 70% of flight schedules serving Cyprus were cancelled indefinitely overnight, forcing the government and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism to manage what he described as an unprecedented crisis.
Tourism conditions deteriorated further in March and April, he said.
Koumis said authorities focused on persuading airlines to maintain routes to and from Cyprus and worked with tour operators and other industry partners to preserve holiday packages for the island.
“In hindsight, and several months on, we can say that we were successful,” he said.
While tourism officials were initially discussing a decline of around 18% during the first four months of the year, the drop has since narrowed to 8% for the January-July period.
“Consequently, by the end of the year we will be talking about a decline of around 5%,” Koumis said.
Source: CNA
