Cyprus Tourism Down 20% Amid Middle East Instability

Economic Overview

Cyprus’ tourism sector has recorded a 20% decline this year, with industry representatives attributing much of the downturn to ongoing instability in the Middle East. Christos Angelides, President of the Cyprus Hotel Managers Association (Pasydixe), said the losses are significant and cannot be overlooked, particularly as the sector enters the peak summer season.

Recovery Through Last-Minute Bookings

Despite the weaker performance, hoteliers remain hopeful that demand could improve during the coming months through last-minute reservations. Year-round hotels were particularly affected during the March-May period, when booking activity slowed, and cancellations increased. According to Angelides, the industry is now relying on stronger demand in July and August to partially offset earlier losses. “We are still left with July to generate tourist flow,” he said, noting that booking trends over the coming weeks will be critical for the season’s overall outcome.

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EU Assistance And Industry Reforms

The sector has called for financial support from the European Union to help businesses manage the impact of lower tourist arrivals. Angelides said additional assistance would help operators remain competitive against other European destinations while continuing to invest in service quality and visitor safety, two factors that have traditionally supported Cyprus’ tourism industry.

Competitive Pressures And Strategic Response

Occupancy levels in key tourism regions, including Larnaca and Famagusta, remain below expectations, reflecting the broader challenges facing the sector. Angelides called for a coordinated strategy extending through 2027 to strengthen Cyprus’ tourism offering and address concerns that have affected traveler confidence in recent months.

Although the industry expects 2026 to end below initial forecasts, stakeholders are focusing on extending the tourist season and adapting to changing market conditions in an effort to support a recovery in visitor numbers.

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Cyprus Remains Among EU’s Lowest Renewable Electricity Producers

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 27, 2026

Cyprus remained among the European Union’s weakest performers in renewable energy adoption in 2025, with renewables accounting for 27.5% of gross electricity consumption, according to new data published by Eurostat.

Across the EU, renewable sources supplied 49.9% of gross electricity consumption last year, bringing the bloc close to generating half of its electricity from renewable energy.

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Cyprus Remains Among The EU’s Lowest Performers

Cyprus ranked among the EU countries with the lowest share of renewable electricity, ahead of only Malta at 11.2%, the Czech Republic at 19.2%, Luxembourg at 23.3% and Slovakia at 24.1%.

Across the country’s broader energy system, renewables accounted for 21.5% of gross final energy consumption in 2025.

EU Renewable Electricity Continues To Grow

Renewables supplied 49.9% of gross electricity consumption across the EU in 2025, up from 47.5% a year earlier. Since Eurostat began collecting comparable data in 2004, the share has risen from 15.9%.

Austria recorded the highest share at 90.8%, followed by Sweden at 89.2%. Denmark generated 77.7% of its electricity from renewable sources, followed by Portugal at 65.6%, Greece at 60.9% and Spain at 60.7%.

Overall Energy Transition Still Has Work Ahead

Renewables accounted for 26.2% of the EU’s gross final energy consumption in 2025, up from 25.2% in 2024 and 9.6% in 2004.

Despite the increase, the bloc remains below its legally binding target of 42.5% by 2030. According to Eurostat, achieving that goal will require an average annual increase of 3.3 percentage points between 2026 and 2030.

Sweden recorded the highest overall renewable energy share at 65.4%, followed by Finland at 53% and Denmark at 48.2%. Belgium recorded the lowest share at 14.9%, followed by Slovakia at 16.3% and Ireland at 17.2%.

Heating And Cooling Also Show Steady Progress

Renewable energy accounted for 27.4% of heating and cooling across the EU in 2025, the highest level since comparable records began in 2004. The share increased by 0.7 percentage points from 2024, slightly below the long-term annual average increase of 0.75 percentage points.

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