We are already walking into the peak week of the summer holidays. Yet nothing resembles the good old days any more, when holidays were not the privilege of the few, but belonged to almost every working person, who counted down the days for the chance to take deep breaths of rest and rejuvenation, whether inside or outside Cyprus.
Today, things have changed dramatically. For the many, holidays have become a luxury item and an unfulfilled dream. Most people have long since forgotten what real holidays mean, trips, nights away on the coast or in the mountains. At best, they make the most of their annual summer break for a day trip to swim at some nearby, affordable beach, or simply for a few days of rest at home. The days when, at this time of year, the big cities emptied out, the coasts filled up, and the planes flew "full" now seem like a distant past.
Unfortunately, this is the reality, and there is no exaggeration in it. The latest figures from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), released a few days ago, confirm that in 2025, 27.6% of Cypriots (that is, one in three) said they could not afford a week's holiday away from home.
This development is no accident. It is the result of the ongoing impoverishment of Cypriot society, which has continued for years now. The constant economic squeeze on households, driven by the unchecked rise in the price of goods and services and by stagnant wages, leaves no room to save money for holidays.
The majority of citizens are now fighting a daily battle simply to survive, and there is nothing left over for holidays. Even if they could manage to save a small amount, the cost of a holiday remains out of reach. Once, the solution for those without means was "humble" Cyprus itself. Now, not even that option remains, since prices in the domestic tourism industry have literally spiralled out of control. Prices at hotels and accommodation within the country have almost overtaken those abroad.
Even under today's conditions of prolonged economic crisis, the local tourism industry stubbornly refuses to "adjust." Not even the loss of a large part of the foreign market, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the recent flare-up in the wider region around us, has "brought Cypriot hoteliers back down to earth." They complain that they have suffered heavy losses, yet they are not lowering their prices. At 3- and 4-star hotels, a single night's stay for a couple is priced at €250 and €300.
Given all this, holidays have now become, for the many, "forbidden fruit," and summer holidays "glories of the past."
