Bookings for the summer are very low, at least so far, while at the same time travel packages to Cyprus have already been cancelled, according to what the President of the Association of Travel and Travel Agents of Cyprus (ACTTA), Haris Papacharalambous, told "F".
Mr. Papacharalambous, asked about the current picture in tourism, said that there has been an improvement compared to the first weeks of the conflict in the Middle East, however this improvement is moving at a slow pace, warning that if this situation does not change then a serious problem will arise with tourism.
As the President of ACTTA said, there have already been package cancellations and variations in flight schedules, while bookings for the summer of 2026 are in low numbers.
"There are increased cancellations. Demand does not seem to be returning to the extent it should," he said.
Asked about these cancellations and whether a specific pattern can be seen, he replied that they arise from everywhere and not from specific countries.
According to Mr. Papacharalambous, March and April are key months that show how tourism will move in the summer, however so far the improvement that has been shown recently is not enough to stop the problem.
"If demand does not increase, we will have a problem," he said, adding that the first effects on tourism have already become apparent. In fact, regarding the travel agencies and agents in Cyprus who deal with travel packages for incoming tourism, Mr. Papacharalambous stressed that they are already facing a problem.
In fact, it is for this reason that travel agents criticize the measures announced by the Government for tourism, since, as they note, while these agencies are also affected, however, their financial support has not been decided. As he added, if the problems continue, then travel agencies will either not hire new people, or they may be forced to release staff.
"There is an improvement, but as long as it proceeds slowly and as long as the war continues and trust and security cannot be restored, it leads to the conclusion that this year will be a difficult year," he said in conclusion.
Cypriots continue to travel
On the contrary, the trips of Cypriots abroad do not seem to have been affected, as Mr. Papacharalambous notes. As he said, there do not seem to be any serious increases in the prices of packages, while some have not been affected at all, since the packages were kept before the war in the Middle East. Possibly, as he added, Cypriot travellers will avoid some trips that have areas affected by the war as hubs, however, there do not seem to be any cancellations of reservations by Cypriots.
What affects airlines
Asked about possible increases in air tickets and how airlines are affected by the developments, Mr. Papacharalambous explained that air ticket prices do not depend only on fuel, but on various factors.
As he said, there may be an increase in aircraft fuel, however, due to reduced demand, some airlines offer even cheaper tickets, so that there is occupancy on their flights. Essentially, ticket prices depend on the cost of fuel, but in combination with demand and supply.
Kerosene stocks
It should be noted that internationally and in Europe there is particular concern about the stocks of kerosene used as fuel in airplanes, since the conflict in the Middle East and the disturbance in the Strait of Hormuz are limiting supplies. In fact, precisely because of this concern, there have been recommendations from officials in other countries in the past to limit air travel.
According to the data, about 30% of the kerosene used on the companies' aircraft in Europe comes from the Strait of Hormuz, and any further disruption will result in problems in the supply of aircraft.
In fact, according to the international press, the prices for "jet fuel" have in some cases doubled. Indicative of the above are the reports from CEOs of the industry, who estimate that air ticket prices will have to increase by even 20% to cover the increased costs.
It should be noted that before the US-Israel conflict with Iran broke out last month, the industry estimated that profits for 2026 would reach record levels, reaching 41 billion dollars. Now, however, the doubling of fuel prices in aviation challenges these forecasts, prompting companies to re-evaluate both their routes and their overall strategy.
This was, after all, another question we asked Mr. Papacharalambous, who reiterated that travel ticket prices depend on various factors and it is possible that sometimes either increases or decreases in prices occur, since these are based on algorithms that proceed to estimates in real time.
