THEY LISTEN TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND CHOOSE SPAIN AND PORTUGAL FOR HOLIDAYS - IT IS DIFFICULT TO COVER THE DAMAGE FOR CYPRUS - Filenews 16/4
Professionals in the tourism industry of Cyprus hope that the assurances of US President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran will be confirmed very soon, so that the negative picture in tourist bookings for holidays in Cyprus in the coming months can be reversed as soon as possible.
However, even if the war ends in the next few days and normality gradually returns to the region, some of the unpleasant effects on tourism are very difficult to erase and it seems impossible to repeat last year with the records in arrivals and tourism revenues.
This is because, as industry players point out, a significant part of European travellers have been making their choices since the beginning of spring. And this year, this period coincided with the start of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran and the retaliation of the Iranian regime in Middle Eastern countries, creating an image of a war and dangerous area, which millions of tourists obviously want to avoid, even now with the fragile truce.
The above pessimistic, partly, picture is confirmed by the information published yesterday by Reuters, according to which a large part of Europeans planning a holiday in the Mediterranean this summer choose countries such as Spain and Portugal to a greater extent than last year and avoid Middle Eastern countries, including Cyprus.
In addition, yesterday, the vice-president of the Cyprus Travel Agents Association (ACTTA), Christos Christou, told KYPE that tourist arrivals in Cyprus fell by 30% in March, due to the war in the Middle East. And unfortunately, they show a significant decrease during the second half of April and May.
Spain and Portugal win
According to a Reuters-APE report, Spain and Portugal are currently recording a rise in air ticket and hotel bookings, as millions of travellers avoid war-affected destinations in and around the Middle East.
Flight bookings to Spain for the summer, including transit flights, increased by 32% year-on-year on April 2, while hotel searches increased by 28%, according to digital travel marketing platform Sojern, cited by Reuters. Portugal, for its part, recorded a 21% increase in flight bookings, with hotel searches increasing by 16%.
Travel data firm Mabrian recorded a decline in interest in Middle Eastern destinations in March and an upward trend for the south-western Mediterranean, with Spain – which competes with France for the position of the most popular tourist destination – benefiting the most from a shift in travellers' preferences.
In contrast, the eastern Mediterranean, including Cyprus, which was "played" in the European media when a drone hit the British Akrotiri air base on March 2 and warships from Greece, France and other countries rushed to protect it, has been hit by a wave of cancellations.
The Spanish group Exceltur has revised upwards its forecasts for arrivals in Spain, after 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 being implemented in markets and reservations for Spain," said Exceltur Vice President Oscar Perelli.
Up to 181 million tourists visit the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean annually. Spain received a record 97 million last year.
Exceltur predicted last week that Spain's tourism activity will grow by 2.5% in real terms this year, reaching 227 billion euros, compared with the previous forecast of 2.4% and last year's increase of 2.1%. It also estimates that tourists who change their travel destination could bring in an additional €4.2 billion to the industry as a whole this year.
Spain's main hotelier association, Cehat, expects room occupancy rates to rise by up to 3% this summer. "Tourists choose destinations as far away from conflict zones in the Mediterranean as possible for their summer family holidays," said Cehat President Jorge Marisal.
Airlines are increasing their capacity, with almost 6% more seats available in April than a year ago, according to the official tourist agency Turespaña, with the biggest increases in flights being from the US and Britain. On the other hand, higher jet fuel prices and further disruptions for long-haul travellers at Middle Eastern transit hubs could limit profits, Exceltur warned.
Parenthesis on Easter for Catholics and Orthodox
In the context of yesterday's conference interview of the Association of Cyprus Travel Agents (ACTTA), on the occasion of the TRAVEL EXPO CYPRUS 2026 Exhibition, Vice President Christos Christou said that some airlines have reduced their flights for the summer, because they are affected by the events in the Middle East.
In relation to tourist arrivals in Cyprus, Mr. Christou said, according to KYPE, that "inbound tourism is currently suffering", noting that in March there was a 30% decrease compared to the 10% increase that was estimated to exist before the war. The first fortnight of April went "relatively well" because of the Catholic and Orthodox Easter, he said. "The second fortnight of April shows a significant decrease, as does May and this season will certainly be quite affected," he stressed.
