Tourist arrivals in Cyprus fell 30% in March compared to a previously forecast increase of 10%, with significant declines continuing into the second half of April and May, the vice-president of the Association of Cyprus Travel Agents (ACTTA), Christos Christou, told the Cyprus News Agency.
Speaking at a press conference held on the occasion of TRAVEL EXPO CYPRUS 2026, Christou said inbound tourism “is suffering right now.”
The first half of April performed relatively well due to the Catholic and Orthodox Easter holidays, but the second half of the month is showing a significant drop.
May is also significantly down, and the current season will be considerably affected, he said. Some airlines have also reduced their summer flights to Cyprus as a result of developments in the Middle East, Christou added.
The figures reflect a broader shift in European travel patterns. According to a Reuters report, millions of travellers are avoiding destinations affected by the Middle East conflict and are instead choosing Spain and Portugal for their summer holidays.
Summer flight bookings to Spain, including transit flights, were up 32% year-on-year as of April 2, while hotel searches rose 28%, according to travel marketing platform Sojern, citing Reuters. Portugal recorded a 21% increase in flight bookings, with hotel searches up 16%.
Travel data company Mabrian recorded a decline in interest in Middle East destinations in March and a rising trend for the south-west Mediterranean, with Spain — which competes with France for the title of the world’s most popular tourist destination — benefiting most from the shift.
The eastern Mediterranean, including Cyprus, has been hit by a wave of cancellations. Cyprus featured prominently in European media after a drone struck the British air base at Akrotiri on March 2 and warships from Greece, France and other countries were deployed to the area.
Spanish tourism group Exceltur revised its forecasts for Spain upward following the start of the war on February 28. “Summer holidays are planned months in advance. As many destinations that attract large numbers of tourists are affected by the war, a significant part of this safe-haven phenomenon is already materialising in bookings and market share for Spain,” said Exceltur vice-president Oscar Perelli.
Exceltur forecast last week that Spain’s tourism activity will grow 2.5% in real terms this year, reaching 227 billion euros, compared to a previous forecast of 2.4% and last year’s growth of 2.1%. It also estimates that tourists switching destinations could bring an additional 4.2 billion euros to the sector this year.
Spain’s main hoteliers’ association, Cehat, expects room occupancy rates to rise by up to 3% this summer. “Tourists are choosing destinations as far as possible from conflict zones in the Mediterranean for their family summer holidays,” said Cehat president Jorge Mariscal.
Airlines are increasing capacity, with almost 6% more seats available in April compared to a year ago, according to Spain’s official tourism agency Turespaña, with the largest increases on flights from the United States and the United Kingdom.
Exceltur warned, however, that higher jet fuel prices and further disruption for long-haul travellers at Middle East transit hubs could limit the gains.
Up to 181 million tourists visit the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean annually. Spain received a record 97 million visitors last year.
Cyprus tourism industry professionals are hoping that US President Donald Trump’s assurances about ending the Iran war will be confirmed quickly, so that the negative booking trend can be reversed ahead of the coming months.
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