Advance bookings from Britain’s three largest tour operators for 2027 are running between 20 and 30 per cent below last year’s levels, raising fresh concerns for Cyprus’ tourism industry despite signs of recovery towards the end of the summer season.
Paphos hoteliers association president Evripides Loizides warned on Tuesday that immediate action was needed to strengthen the island’s promotion abroad, particularly as competition intensifies and uncertainty continues to weigh on holiday decisions.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Loizides said “the 2026 summer season had started strongly, only for the war and its wider consequences to disrupt demand and leave hotels facing considerable losses.”
As a result, hotel occupancy during the three summer months and through September was approximately 7 per cent lower than in the corresponding period of 2025.
However, he explained that “the difficulties facing the hotel industry extended beyond weaker demand, with increasing competition from short-term holiday rentals and accommodation in the occupied area, adding further pressure on established businesses.”
Although September performed slightly better than last year and October has also shown encouraging signs, the outlook for the coming months remains less favourable.
According to Loizides, tourist activity typically begins to decline after November 10, with Cyprus continuing to experience a substantial fall in demand during the winter months.
Of particular concern is the British market, which remains Cyprus’ largest source of tourists but is coming under pressure as households face economic uncertainty and higher living costs.
Meanwhile, Poland continues to be an important market for Paphos, alongside Israel, whose visitors have played a significant role in supporting the destination this year. Nevertheless, Loizides cautioned that demand from Israel remains closely linked to developments and stability in the country.
The warning comes just a day after official figures showed that Cyprus welcomed 580,889 tourists in September, an increase of 1.8 per cent compared with the same month last year.
British visitors accounted for 184,345 arrivals, 31.7 per cent of the total, while Israel followed with 105,249 visitors, representing 18.1 per cent.
Nevertheless, the wider picture remains more challenging, with arrivals during the first nine months of 2026 reaching 3.4 million, 5.6 per cent below the corresponding period of 2025.
Tourism Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis said on Monday that preparations for 2027 were already under way, with particular attention being given to recovering markets that had suffered losses because of external developments.
For Loizides, however, the immediate priority is to strengthen overseas advertising before the next holiday booking season gets under way.
He explained that “most reservations are made between January and March, making it essential for Cyprus to increase its visibility in major tourism markets well before travellers finalise their plans.”
In this respect, he called on the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, tourism organisations and airlines to coordinate their efforts, stressing that the government has a particularly important responsibility in promoting Cyprus abroad.
The appeal also comes as the deputy ministry’s 2027 budget provides €26.9 million for tourism promotion campaigns, slightly below the €27.7m allocated for 2026.
At the same time, Loizides pointed to rising hotel operating costs, staff shortages during the summer months and the uncertainty caused by international developments as additional difficulties for the industry.