The tourist season in the free Famagusta area is expected to end about 10 per cent down on 2025, a record year, after a slow start caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
Ayia Napa and Protaras opened in March with very low occupancy, but business picked up as the season went on. August ended only slightly behind 2025, and September has matched last year’s levels.
Panagiotis Konstantinou, president of the Famagusta branch of the Cyprus Hotels Association (PASYXE), told Phileleftheros that occupancy in August was around 90 per cent, slightly below 2025. “Given the conditions, we are satisfied, because things could have been worse,” he said. He added that state support in April and May had helped.
Most hotels in the area are currently between 80 and 90 per cent full, Konstantinou said. Most visitors come from the United Kingdom, followed by Scandinavia, Poland and central European countries such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland. He said Israeli tourists were also providing an important boost, with many flights every day and a large volume of bookings countrywide, not only in the Famagusta area.
Bookings for October are so far about 10 per cent down on last year. Hoteliers are hoping for last-minute bookings, which have been particularly high this year. Konstantinou said most hotels would close in early November, and a fairly large number would close gradually by the end of that month. After that, about 10 hotels that traditionally stay open through the winter will remain open.
Konstantinou said the area could not expect every year to grow or to match 2025. But if there is no new tension in the Middle East, he believes 2027 will be a very good year.
Tourism stakeholders in the area are counting on 2027 to lengthen the season. They have started working with the regional tourism board (ETAP) and the Larnaca branch of PASYXE to bring more flights to Larnaca airport in March and November. Konstantinou said a first coordination meeting had been held.
More meetings will follow in the coming months with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, Hermes Airports and travel agents, aiming to extend the season at least into November and March 2027. He said there was common ground and a shared effort to strengthen Larnaca airport, and that more flights in those two months would benefit more than just the Larnaca and free Famagusta districts.
