Boost In Bookings Signal Holiday Optimism For Restaurants And Leisure Centers In Cyprus

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

December 18, 2025

Holiday bookings for restaurants and leisure centers have surged in anticipation of Christmas and New Year’s festivities, according to Nèofyto Thrasivoulou, President of the Federation of Leisure Centers Owners in Cyprus (ΟΣΙΚΑ), as reported by CYP.

Heightened Mobility In Holiday Bookings

The market now offers a wide array of dining and recreational options across both mountainous and coastal settings, significantly boosting consumer interest as the festive season nears. Current data indicates that December reservations are around 60% for the holiday period, with expectations that this figure will rise further. Meanwhile, visitor rates at leisure centers have ranged from 40% to 50% so far, underscoring the dynamic shift in consumer behavior.

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Robust Outcome From The Recent Tourism Season

Reflecting on the tourism season that concluded last November, Thrasivoulou described the results as favorably impacting the industry despite initially subdued booking figures. Following a noticeable turnaround post-July, leisure center operators witnessed improved business performance and a revitalized consumer interest. Notably, during August, a greater number of Cypriots opted to remain on the island, frequenting local leisure centers rather than venturing abroad. Furthermore, tourist activity in coastal regions—particularly in areas such as the free zone of Ammochostos and Paphos—markedly increased compared to previous years.

Expanding Opportunities For Year-Round Tourism

Thrasivoulou views these developments as promising initial steps toward extending the tourism season in Cyprus. He expressed optimism that ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Tourism to maintain flight routes during the winter could pave the way for Cyprus to emerge as a year-round destination. Looking ahead, the federation plans to address existing challenges, including the finalization of contractual agreements and the review of pending legislative frameworks in the Parliament.

CYP

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Meta’s Muse Is Outpacing ChatGPT In Early Mobile Adoption, New Data Suggests

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 22, 2026

Meta’s new AI app, Muse, may be emerging as one of the company’s strongest consumer launches to date. Fresh estimates from market intelligence firm Apptopia suggest the app has outperformed ChatGPT in early mobile traction, at least in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Apptopia, Muse recorded more downloads in its first 12 days on the market than ChatGPT did during the comparable period after its mobile debut. The comparison, limited to the U.S. and Canada, puts Muse’s iOS downloads at 1.8 million versus 1.3 million for ChatGPT over the same initial window.

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A Strong Early Start Across Platforms

In total, Muse has reached 2.8 million global installs in its first 12 days, according to the firm. The app’s momentum also appears to be holding. After debuting at No. 2 on the U.S. App Store, Muse has since climbed to No. 1, surpassing ChatGPT, according to reporting from Business Insider. Appfigures had previously estimated that Muse crossed 1 million downloads shortly after launch.

That early rise matters because app-store performance in the first days after launch often signals whether a product can sustain consumer attention beyond initial curiosity. In Meta’s case, the data suggests Muse is not simply benefiting from novelty; it is gaining ground quickly enough to challenge the category leader.

Daily Users Show Similar Momentum

Apptopia’s estimates point to another favorable comparison for Meta: daily usage. In the U.S. alone, Muse is said to have 642,000 daily active users, well above the 231,000 ChatGPT had at the same stage of its mobile rollout.

To make the comparison fairer, Apptopia also narrowed the analysis to iOS only, since ChatGPT launched on iPhone before expanding more broadly. Even under that tighter lens, Muse still comes out ahead, with 359,000 daily active users on iOS compared with ChatGPT’s earlier figure.

Why Meta Has An Advantage

Third-party estimates are not the same as internal company data, and Apptopia cannot see Meta’s proprietary numbers. Still, even directional data suggests Muse may be on track to become a meaningful consumer product for Meta.

That possibility is strengthened by Meta’s distribution advantage. The company has already demonstrated how powerful its ecosystem can be with Threads, which surpassed 500 million users after heavy promotion across Instagram and Facebook. Muse is likely to receive a similar boost, especially because it can connect across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Apptopia does not track Meta’s internal promotion strategy, but its data indicates that more than 95% of Muse users are also Facebook users, while 63% are Instagram users. That overlap underscores how effectively Meta can move users across its products when it chooses to prioritize a launch.

The Strategic Test For Meta

For Meta, the early signal from Muse is less about one app’s download count than about whether the company can turn its scale into durable AI adoption. The first test is attention. The harder one is retention.

If Muse can convert early downloads into habitual use, Meta may have found a new front door into its AI ambitions. If not, the app risks becoming another example of how easily mobile hype can spike before settling back down.

Meta, which was asked for comment, has not yet released public figures on Muse’s early adoption.

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