UK and Poland lead demand for Cyprus summer holidays

Signals for the upcoming summer tourism season are encouraging, with a steady flow of bookings from all markets, particularly favouring the Famagusta district, according to Panayiotis Constantinou, president of Famagusta Hoteliers Association (Pasyxe).

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Constantinou explained that the period after Christmas remains particularly difficult for tourism in the area.

However, “the messages we are receiving for the start of the new summer season, which is estimated at the beginning of April, are good, since most of the hotels in the district will start operating.”

At the same time, demand appears broad-based. “There is a good flow of bookings from all markets, especially from the main markets that prefer the Famagusta district, namely the United Kingdom, Poland, Israel, the Scandinavian countries and the countries of Central Europe,” he said.

He added that “we will start the new season on the right foot and we are looking forward to a very good season”.

Nevertheless, uncertainty remains, and he noted the sector remains cautious due to the situation in the Middle East with Iran, saying “we are optimistic and hope that there will be no unforeseen events in the coming months”.

Turning to international promotion activity, he said the association will attend upcoming tourism exhibitions. A delegation together with the Famagusta Regional Tourism Board (Etap) and local hoteliers will participate in the Belgrade exhibition between February 19-22.

Meanwhile, participation at the ITB Berlin fair on March 3-5 will be broader, as “most of the hoteliers in the region will attend”, alongside the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, the municipalities of Paralimni-Deryneia and Ayia Napa, the Bank of Cyprus (BoC) and Hermes Airports.

He also referred to the district’s targeted promotion strategy, explaining the online campaign is entering its third year and focuses on specific markets.

The main targets include “the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Switzerland and France”, while the results of the previous two years were encouraging and “that is why we will continue this effort to promote the district this year as well”.

Regarding Middle Eastern tourism, he said “we are always interested in these specific markets because they are close to Cyprus and have prospects”.

However, due to the regional situation, the association is currently cautious about attracting tourists from Middle Eastern countries as “it is very difficult to say how a programme can be promoted, so for now we are a little cautious on this issue”.

On winter operations, he explained that although only a small number of hotel units remained open, they operated normally, with bookings made online as well as through tour operators offering small holiday packages.

Finally, he referred to efforts to extend the tourist season, saying October and November performed well in 2025-2026, helped by bookings and favourable weather conditions.

As mentioned, the association now aims “to strengthen, for the most part, November and March and then target the remaining winter months, namely December, January and February.”