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Cyprus Residents Set New Record For Overseas Travel

by News Editor

August 24, 2026

Cyprus residents are on track to make around 2.1 million trips abroad in 2026, up from 1.96 million last year, according to the Association of Cyprus Travel & Tourism Agents (ACTTA).

ACTTA president Charis Papacharalambous said outbound travel is growing by about 7%, meaning the number of trips could exceed two million for the first time.

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He said the increase reflects a broader shift in which international travel has become a regular part of life for Cyprus residents rather than an occasional luxury. Better air connectivity has also expanded the number of destinations and flight options available from the island.

Greece Remains The Top Choice

Around 85% of trips by Cyprus residents are to European destinations, including the UK, while almost 70% are to EU member states.

Greece remains by far the most popular destination, accounting for about 33% of all outbound trips. Italy, Poland, France and Germany are also among the leading choices, while Spain and Romania have recorded notable increases in demand.

Long-haul travel is gaining ground as well. Japan has become increasingly popular over the past two to three years, particularly among older travellers and families with older children. Thailand is also regaining interest after a period of weaker demand.

Inbound Tourism Faces A Mixed Picture

While outbound travel is growing strongly, Cyprus’ inbound tourism performance has been more uneven. July arrivals were close to last year’s level, but several key European markets remained below their 2025 figures.

British arrivals were around 11% lower for the year so far, while arrivals from EU countries were down by approximately 9.5%.

A sharp increase in visitors from Israel has partly offset these declines. Around 80,000 to 90,000 more Israeli visitors arrived over the past two months than during the same period last year, with arrivals from the market rising by about 165% in June.

However, Israeli tourists generally stay for shorter periods than European visitors, meaning the increase in arrivals does not translate into the same growth in overnight stays.

Winter Tourism Remains A Challenge

Papacharalambous identified winter tourism as one of Cyprus’ biggest long-term challenges. While efforts are already underway to develop the market, he said they remain fragmented and lack a consistent long-term strategy.

A stronger winter tourism sector would require clear planning and conditions that give businesses and investors confidence to commit to Cyprus for the long term.

Looking ahead to 2027, Papacharalambous said reliable forecasts remain difficult because of the continuing geopolitical uncertainty in the region. The wider regional situation remains uncertain.

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.