A season full of challenges is facing this year the crown of tourism in Cyprus, cosmopolitan Ayia Napa, which has been investing for years in the quality upgrade of its product, however, its name is tarnished by incidents of violence, usually caused by young people who consume large amounts of alcohol.
This year, the problems intensified on the one hand due to the reduction of tourist flows, which brought more aggressive trafficking/cracking (the practice of attracting customers outside shops) and noise pollution and on the other hand due to the serious incidents of violence, which, due to the involvement of tourists, were shown in many countries. Some of them are the assassination attempt on June 17 in which an Israeli stabbed three people, the critical injury of a 47-year-old Turkish Cypriot after a fight with four tourists with Swedish passports, but also the fierce clashes of tourists from Britain, which was presented, via video, by a well-known Influencer.
In an interview with "F", the mayor of Ayia Napa, Christos Zannetou, referred to the incidents of violence, the measures taken, but also the difficult tourist season, due to the war in the Middle East.
Asked to comment on the cases of violence, Mr. Zannetou spoke of isolated incidents, which, however, hurt the image of Ayia Napa. "Certainly some events do not honour us, but they are isolated. Unfortunately, another picture is coming out. These are issues that we manage and there is now a strong presence of the Police. However, the presence of young people has also increased, due to the availability and low packages and this requires attention and management", he noted, adding that it depends on the entrepreneurs themselves to change the image. "We are waiting for the permission for the redevelopment of Agia Mavri, however, whatever we do, if the entrepreneurs do not make efforts to make the change through places that will offer picturesqueness such as the Greek islands, this project will certainly not bring in the spring," he noted and wondered: "What is it that we want, the youth that deviates or the youth that behaves decently. Personally, I want the youth who behave decently, as the young people of Cyprus do when they go abroad. Ayia Napa can and does have the guarantees for all market profiles and I think that if we operate properly we can achieve it."
Asked about the efforts made by Ayia Napa to shake off this stigma that has haunted it for years, Mr. Zannetou noted that measures have been taken and night cruises have stopped, while pub roads have also been greatly restricted. "Especially in 2025, the youth was few. These are being done in about 8 premises and we are now trying to reduce both trafficking and noise pollution. This year, the trafficking is much more intense because there are fewer people who are trafficking. It does not make us happy, because they disturb people both on the beaches and on the sidewalks. We are in a discussion to see what can be changed in the legislation. Taking out an out-of-court €85 and not paying it and going to court is not a solution. We are trying but we also need specific weapons. For example, for trafficking we should be able to close the premises for 24 or 48 hours, the same for noise pollution."
"We will find it difficult to fully recover"
The biggest challenge of this year for Ayia Napa, however, is the decrease in tourist flows, which increased in July, but remains at rates lower than in the very good 2025.
"It is a difficult year and we will find it difficult to fully recover. My own estimate is that after July 15, we will probably see a significant recovery, but by then we will have lost half of the summer season. We were very affected when the war took place and very much when the drone fell in Akrotiri. Unfortunately, it happened during the period when pre-bookings are made and the United Kingdom, which is our largest market, was greatly affected. So, a large percentage closed in other destinations. What is called the early booking discount (transferable early booking discount) we lost. At the moment, the feeling of the world has changed, however, it is not easy to fill this gap. As Ayia Napa – and I believe this applies to the whole of free Famagusta – we are behind in bookings at a rate of more than 20%. The information I receive from tour operators, however, is that the bookings in August, September and October are encouraging," said the mayor, noting that there are indications of extending the season until November 25. "We expected a very good year this year and we hope that next year will be a good one. For five of the last 6 years, our tourism has been in crisis. Two years into the pandemic, after 2023 and 2024 we had the loss of the Russian market on which we depend by 70%. In 2025, it was a good season and this year we have this crisis," he said, adding that the region managed, with specific actions, to fill the gap in the Russian market.
Asked if Ayia Napa will follow the example of the Municipality of Paralimni, which is launching a new identity, through Protaras Riviera, he replied in the negative. "We have our strategy. Our brand is Ayia Napa and we will not differentiate it. We are making moves to promote ourselves and I believe that, in the long run, we will have positive results. As Ayia Napa, we need to correct what we said earlier and turn it into positive ones. I believe that we are on the right track, however, we need further promotion and further upgrading of aesthetics and services. Our vision is to make Ayia Napa a destination for everyone and I think that this can be achieved, with decisions that may not be liked but will improve the wrongs."
Multi-million projects are being implemented
The image of the Municipality of Ayia Napa will, however, improve significantly in the coming years as multi-million euro projects are being carried out or launched both in the tourist resort and in the other municipal districts.
According to Mr. Zannetou, by the end of the year the impressive Multifunctional Park of Ayia Napa will be completed, which will exceed €5.5 million, while the open amphitheater in Avgorou with a budget of about €3 million is at an advanced stage. and the Linear Park in the Achna Forest which will cost approximately €2.5 million.
Regarding the long-suffering project of the Liopetri River, Mr. Zannetou indicated that it is proceeding according to the schedules set by the Department of Urban Planning. "We supported the cancellation of the previous contract and the resumption of the bidding process. The works are progressing and I believe the project will be completed at the beginning of next year and the other phase will remain for the shipyard and the premises", he noted.
In addition, the planning for the eight-grade school of Liopetri and the preparation of a master plan for the roads from the area of Agia Thekla to Sotira are in progress, while the licensing for the coastal pedestrian street from the Liopetriou River to Agia Thekla is awaited.
The municipality's plans also include the creation of a coastal pedestrian street from the area of Spilies to Cape Greco, the implementation of a Classic Car Museum in Ayia Napa, as well as the upgrade of the old cinema in Avgorou and the stadium of Elpida in Liopetri.
