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Cyprus Hospitality Sector Navigates Shifting Trends Amid Rising All-Inclusive and Airbnb Dominance

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

August 26, 2025

Robust Holiday Performance

During the August 15 holiday, Cyprus leisure centres experienced robust business activity, showcasing the enduring appeal of the nation’s coastal regions such as Famagusta, Paphos and Larnaca. Despite operational challenges including roadworks and weather disruptions, domestic tourism provided a crucial lifeline for many businesses.

Emerging Trends And Operational Challenges

Industry leaders, including Fanos Leventis of Pasika and Neophytos Thrasyvoulou from Osika, observed that while mountain resorts initially recorded subdued figures due to international travel and wildfires, the holiday period saw a marked turnaround in areas like Platres and Kakopetria. However, the rising popularity of all-inclusive packages is increasingly isolating leisure centres, as guests often opt to remain within resort confines when meals and entertainment are bundled into their stays.

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Changing Consumer Preferences

Younger visitors display a marked preference for more relaxed environments where digital engagement through mobile devices dominates their experience. Simultaneously, there is a concerted effort among industry stakeholders to elevate and preserve Cypriot gastronomy, regarded as both a cultural treasure and a key differentiator in attracting discerning visitors.

Sustainability And Resource Concerns

Concerns surrounding sustainability have intensified in the wake of recent water and electricity outages. Leventis highlighted that as tourism and other sectors consume increasing volumes of water, it is imperative to measure the benefits of growth against the potential depletion of vital resources.

Market Shifts And Strategic Implications

Thrasyvoulou noted a gradual recovery in traffic following an initial dip in July and early August, albeit tempered by rising prices and the proliferation of low-cost accommodation options, notably Airbnb rentals. In Paphos alone, more than 9,000 licensed Airbnb properties now serve a market segment seeking budget-friendly holidays. This trend has inadvertently diverted spending towards ancillary businesses such as supermarkets, rather than traditional leisure centres.

Path Forward For The Industry

Industry executives plan to address these challenges with government stakeholders, including the Deputy Minister of Tourism. They advocate for enhanced collaboration to elevate service standards and extend the tourist season, which is critical for maintaining competitiveness in a rapidly evolving market. The consensus remains that robust domestic tourism and strategic operational adjustments are essential for sustaining the growth and legacy of Cyprus’s hospitality sector.

The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties

by News Editor

August 24, 2026

Courts Are Still Applying Old Copyright Rules To AI

AI companies train models on enormous amounts of published material, including books, articles and academic research. Whether using that content without authors’ permission violates copyright law remains unresolved.

Much of the debate centres on fair use, which allows copyrighted material to be used without permission in certain circumstances. Courts consider factors such as the purpose of the use, how much material was involved and its impact on the original market.

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Anthropic Case Sets An Important Precedent

A major case involving Anthropic and a group of authors provided one of the clearest rulings so far. Judge William Alsup found that using copyrighted books to train AI models was lawful, comparing the process to people reading and studying literature before creating something new.

Anthropic was nevertheless ordered to pay $1.5 billion in a settlement. The penalty concerned books the company had obtained from illegal online libraries rather than the AI training itself.

For AI companies, that distinction could prove significant because it separates studying copyrighted material from directly copying it.

Competition Could Be The Key Issue

A case involving Thomson Reuters and Ross Intelligence offers a different perspective. A court ruled that Ross could not claim fair use after using Reuters’ copyrighted material to develop a competing AI-powered legal research platform.

The decision suggests courts may be less willing to consider AI training fair use when copyrighted content is used to build a product that directly competes with the original.

For authors, an unresolved question is whether AI-generated content should be considered competition for the works used to train these models.

The Law Has Yet To Catch Up

US copyright law predates generative AI by decades, leaving courts to apply old principles to new technology. Questions also remain over copyright protection for AI-generated works. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, a court ruled that material created entirely by AI cannot receive copyright protection.

Major AI companies remain involved in copyright litigation, and different courts could reach different conclusions. For now, there is no universal rule: the legality of AI training will depend on the circumstances of each case and how courts ultimately interpret copyright and fair use.