Cyprus remains a safe tourist destination and tourism activity continues normally despite the conflict in the Middle East, Deputy Minister of Tourism Costas Koumis said in Paphos.
Koumis made the remarks while attending the international TUI Cyprus Marathon, saying the arrival of about 2,500 people from abroad for the event showed that tourism flows to the island were continuing without disruption.
According to Koumis, the presence of thousands of visitors who travelled to Cyprus in recent days to take part in the sporting event demonstrated that the country remained an entirely safe destination.
He said the new conflict in the region did not directly involve Cyprus but had started to affect tourism in recent days.
Koumis said the sector was already seeing signs of slower bookings for the broader tourism season.
He added that the impact was more noticeable for the coming months, while the scale of any effect on tourism would depend on how the conflict develops and whether it escalates further.