Paphos Hotels Achieve Steady Success With Increased Winter Occupancy

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

December 29, 2025

Strong Performance Amid Consistent Capacity

According to the Paphos Hoteliers Association, nearly 10,500 hotel beds are available in the district for the winter season, mirroring last year’s capacity while experiencing higher than anticipated occupancy rates. Evripides Loizides, president of the association, noted that December’s performance compared favorably with the previous year, bolstering confidence in Paphos as a year-round tourist destination.

Expanding Market Horizons

Loizides highlighted 2025 as a landmark year for Cyprus tourism, with arrivals projected to reach approximately 4.5 million. While hotels are central to this growth, many visitors opt for alternative accommodations. He emphasized the critical role of last-minute bookings driven by low-cost flights, such as those from Lufthansa and Ryanair, in maintaining high occupancy levels.

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Diversified Source Markets

New market trends have emerged amid shifts in global travel dynamics. With traditional Russian tourism in decline, the Polish and German markets have ascended as key contributors. Meanwhile, Israel continues to register high arrival numbers despite shorter stays. This diversification strategy underscores the industry’s resilience in the face of evolving travel patterns.

Balancing Arrivals and Revenue

Loizides stressed that while increasing arrivals is a positive indicator, the duration of visits is equally important for revenue generation. He cautioned that the UK market might face challenges with shorter breaks, which could affect overall income. Nevertheless, the recent addition of three weekly flights by Lufthansa from April 1 marks a significant development, further reinforcing Paphos’ position in the competitive tourism landscape.

Industry Challenges and Future Outlook

Despite the robust performance, the industry continues to grapple with persistent challenges, notably staff shortages and rising operational costs. Water scarcity, exacerbated by reduced rainfall, remains another concern. Loizides encapsulated the sentiment by stating, “When the numbers are doing well, everything else is doing well,” reflecting optimism that economic stability will help mitigate these issues.

Record-Breaking Developments

The annual report released by the Cyprus Hoteliers Association (Pasyxe) for 2024 documented a 5.1 percent rise in arrivals to 4,040,200 and a near 20 percent surge in revenues compared to 2019. With the United Kingdom accounting for roughly one-third of arrivals, followed by Israel, Poland, and Germany, the report highlights both the achievements and ongoing structural challenges of the local tourism industry.

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Cyprus Moves To Unlock More Solar Power With First Large-Scale Battery Storage Contracts

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

June 23, 2026

Cyprus is preparing to sign the first contracts for large-scale electricity storage batteries on Tuesday, a project expected to improve the grid’s ability to manage growing renewable energy production and reduce the curtailment of solar power.

A Long-Awaited Grid Fix

Energy Minister Michalis Damianos said the agreements will cover 120MW of centralised storage capacity that will be managed by the transmission system operator. The project, valued at €50 million, is expected to deliver the batteries in January 2027, with installation scheduled to take place over the following two to three months.

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According to Damianos, the system should become operational by the summer of 2027, a period when both electricity demand and solar generation typically peak. He said the storage facilities will allow energy currently lost due to a lack of storage capacity to be retained and used when needed.

Why Storage Has Become Essential

The batteries are designed to absorb excess renewable electricity during periods of overproduction and release it back into the system when demand increases. Their introduction is expected to reduce the curtailments currently affecting solar generators and improve the use of renewable energy already being produced across the island.

Former Energy Minister George Papanastasiou told Sigma that planning for the project began in 2023 in cooperation with the European Commission. The objective was to address growing losses from renewable energy generation that the electricity network cannot currently absorb.

By the end of May 2026, approximately 160,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy had been lost through curtailments affecting residential photovoltaic systems, commercial solar parks, and wind installations. According to Papanastasiou, renewable electricity production exceeds demand during several hours of the day, leaving part of the output unable to be utilised.

The Cost Of Growing Faster Than The Grid

The challenge has become more pronounced as renewable generation capacity has expanded faster than the infrastructure required to manage surplus electricity. Data from the distribution system operator show that around 306 gigawatt hours of renewable energy were curtailed in 2025, compared with approximately 167 gigawatt hours a year earlier.

Papanastasiou acknowledged criticism that storage deployment has not kept pace with the growth of renewable energy projects, although he noted that regulatory and financing challenges slowed implementation. He added that the development of storage and generation capacity needs to progress in parallel, a challenge faced by many energy markets.

Private Capital Is Also Entering The Market

The state-backed battery installation forms part of a broader expansion of energy storage capacity across Cyprus. Alongside the project managed by the transmission system operator, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) and private developers are advancing their own investments.

Current figures show 36 applications for battery storage projects with a combined requested capacity of approximately 925MW. The EAC has submitted applications for storage facilities in Dhekelia and Moni with a combined capacity of 180MW, while private-sector projects exceeding 150MW have progressed through various stages of the approval process.

Grid Stability Comes First

According to Papanastasiou, the state-owned battery system will primarily serve grid stability and energy security objectives rather than operate as a commercial trading asset. The facilities will store electricity during periods of surplus generation and release it when demand rises or when supply pressures emerge.

Privately operated storage projects could also contribute to the market by storing lower-cost renewable electricity and dispatching it later when demand and prices are higher.

As renewable energy continues to account for a larger share of Cyprus’ electricity mix, storage infrastructure is expected to play an increasingly important role in balancing supply and demand, reducing curtailments, and improving the overall efficiency of the power system.

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