A British travel agent based in Cyprus has lent her support to a rallying call from hoteliers, asking travel agents not to dismiss the destination this summer.

The Cyprus Hoteliers Association recently reported that bookings were down 40% in March and April.

Travel agent Janette Healey, founder of The Travel Boutique, has had a love affair with Cyprus lasting more than 30 years, and she now splits her time between the Mediterranean island and the UK. She’s currently residing in Lefkara, a scenic mountainous village, 10 minutes from the sea and 20 minutes from Larnaca.


Janette reassures that life in Cyprus is continuing as normal: “There is just so much scaremongering by the media – but we’re not hiding under tables every few hours just because we hear something,” she told TTG. “I walked the dog on the beach this morning, the kids are playing outside the local school, and there was flower festival last weekend in the village.”


In the early days of the US/Israel and Iran war, on March 1, RAF base Akrotiri was hit by a drone, with two more drones intercepted.


While the drone attack was initially shocking, as news filtered through, the islanders relaxed, says Janette: “Cyprus is not such a big island,” she explains. “I know people who work on the base and the drone did not cause substantial damage. They followed normal [evacuation] procedure, because it’s a base.”


Janette has spoken with a number of hotels in Cyprus including Cap St Georges and Capo Bay Beach Hotel, and although the attack caused a flurry of cancellations, some guests have rebooked for later in the year. Small Luxury Hotel The Agora took such a proactive stance in reassuring customers that they have been able to go ahead with a wellness retreat this week: “And that’s women travelling on their own,” she says.

But the summer is still uncertain, she says, with islanders sharing their concerns that tourists will stay away: “We’re not worried at all, there’s absolutely nothing going on here. There are a few more [military] planes in the sky, our waters are being patrolled, but we’re not talking about the war here, we feel safe. The only thing people in Cyprus are worried about is what will this summer look like for tourism?”


And the worry is real, she says, because tourism is such a big part of the island: “A drop in tourism doesn’t just affect the hotels, it affects the everyday people. If the coaches stop coming to our village, then the ladies sitting out in the streets making lace, silversmiths making jewellery, shopkeepers with beautiful shops to browse in… all those people will be affected, it’s their livelihood.”


Caution in the market

Olympic Holidays reports there is a degree of caution in the market to Cyprus, but hopes that with no change to the FCDO advice and flights operating as normal, the fundamentals for the destination remain strong.  

Reeva Kingston, managing director, says: “We would also expect to see competitive offers coming through in the near term, which should help stimulate interest and rebuild confidence. Cyprus continues to offer a reliable and high-quality holiday experience, and we remain confident in its ongoing appeal.”

Tui UK & Ireland is also keen to convey reassurance around Cyprus. Neil Swanson, managing director, UK & Ireland, says: “Cyprus remains a key destination for Tui and our operations there are continuing as normal. While we’ve seen some short‑term caution around bookings in the shoulder season, we’re not seeing a broader move away from the destination, and demand for the main summer period remains steady. We would encourage agents to continue to sell Cyprus with confidence.”


Planet Holidays aviation and commercial director Harry Kyrillou remarks that the special offers flooding the market coupled with unprecedented availability are indicators of the crisis facing Cyprus: “Smaller operators like us are now being given the ability to sell all categories of rooms with extended early booking offers, because hotels have the availability caused by the reluctance of folks to travel to Cyprus at this time.”


Kyrillou says: “If things had not been difficult, specialists would not be given all room categories to sell. It’s disappointing this only happens in a crisis, when as specialists we always support the destination, through the good and the not-so-good times.”


Parklane, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa in Limassol, has been affected by cancellations and general manager Yannis Stefanou is keen to reassure the travelling public: “We remain committed to showcasing Cyprus as a safe, welcoming and highly desirable destination for international travellers. Our resort is fully operational and our dedicated team is focused on delivering a seamless and memorable stay.”  

Meanwhile, Janette has ripped up her usual marketing plan for April and plans to focus on promoting Cyprus instead. “For the first time I’m going to put myself in front of the camera on social media. My daughter works with me, and she is saying, come on mum, you do this, no one knows the island like you do.”


She adds: “Cyprus has always been good to the UK travel industry and Cyprus needs agents now to believe in the destination. Don’t believe everything you read in the media, because life here is normal, this is the reality, the weather is amazing and Cypriots just want to welcome everybody with open arms.”  

'Cyprus remains one of the safest destinations'

Louis Hotels operates 18 hotel and villa resorts across Cyprus in Paphos, Protaras and Limassol as well as the city of Nicosia. Ms. Popi Tanta, chief commercial offer of Louis Hotels, says:

“Like many hotels and destinations in our region, we have seen a temporary slowdown in bookings this month. However, we remain confident that travellers’ trust in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly Cyprus, and in the Louis Hotels experience, will see a strong recovery in the months ahead. Our ongoing conversations with our tour operator partners show encouraging signs of renewed confidence and continued demand for quality holidays. 

© Louis Hotels

“We continue to operate as normal, and the much-anticipated addition of the new Imperial Island Resort in Paphos, set to open on 3 May 2026, is right on schedule.
 
“As a proudly Cypriot hospitality group with more than 75 years of history, we stand firm in our belief that Cyprus remains one of the safest and most welcoming holiday destinations in the Mediterranean. While we acknowledge that the region’s proximity to tensions in parts of the Middle East has understandably prompted some uncertainty among travellers, we wish to assure our guests and trade partners that Cyprus continues to enjoy stability, security, and peace, something that our hotel guests that have stayed with us throughout the month of March can confirm.”