Breaking news

Cypriot Travelers Favor Additional Experiences, According to Mastercard Research

Extensive Study Across Europe

A recent in-depth study commissioned by Mastercard reveals that Cypriot travelers are keeping their calendars open for more experiences, even as 2025 draws to a close. Surveying more than 20,000 Europeans across 20 countries, the research underscores the growing trend of consumers postponing final plans until after the year’s end, with many eager to add yet another travel experience before 2026.

Cypriot Travelers: Embracing Additional Experiences

The study shows that nearly half of Cypriot respondents (47%) still have between 7 and 20-plus vacation days available for 2025, with the highest proportion (19%) having 7 to 10 days left unused. In fact, Cyprus leads the pack alongside Switzerland (56%) and Bulgaria (55%) in terms of available leave. This trend reflects a robust culture of experience-seeking, as 71.8% of Cypriots indicated they have one or more experiences they aim to accomplish before the new year.

Determination and Optimism Across Age Groups

The ambition to seize every available opportunity spans all age groups. Among respondents, 38.2% are set on achieving a single major experience, while 33.6% plan to complete several. Overall, 34.54% believe they are likely to achieve their goals, 26.60% are confident and enthusiastic about their plans, and 36.77% remain hopeful but uncertain. Notably, a significant majority in Cyprus include 71.7% of Generation Z, 74.5% of Millennials, 61.7% of Generation X, and 75% of Baby Boomers, indicating a unified commitment to living life fully across generations.

Travel: The Foremost Experience

The survey further highlights that travel continues to be the foremost experience on the minds of Europeans. Top selections among Cypriots include a dream destination trip (39.55%), trying a new outdoor activity (21.73%), and attending a long-awaited performance or concert (19.78%). Other experiences, such as witnessing a major sporting event (10.45%), dining at a top restaurant (2.65%), or visiting a Christmas market (1.25%), also make periodic appearances among the preferences.

Optimism in the Broader European Context

Comparatively, optimism is even more pronounced among Europeans overall, with over two-thirds (67%) expressing confidence that they will complete at least one target experience by the end of 2025. Countries like Serbia (82%), Sweden (72%), Spain (71%), and France (71%) are highlighted for their strong belief in this trend. Nevertheless, respondents pointed to challenges such as the need for additional savings (23%), the pursuit of the ‘perfect moment’ (13%), and limited free time due to work and commitments (12%) — factors that may hamper the achievement of these experiential goals.

Copyright Law Struggles To Keep Up With AI Training

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.

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.

Uol
Aretilaw firm
The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties
eCredo

Become a Speaker

Become a Speaker

Become a Partner

Subscribe for our weekly newsletter