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Limassol Tourism Grapples With Cancellation Surge Amid Regional Tensions

Rising Cancellations Disrupt Limassol’s Tourism Season

Hotel bookings in Limassol declined following increased international coverage of tensions involving Iran. Industry representatives report lower occupancy levels and rising cancellations.

External Perceptions Versus Local Realities

Representatives from Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Evel), Pasyxe, and Stek said international coverage does not reflect local conditions in Cyprus. Andreas Tsouloftas, President of Evel, said cancellations followed media attention around an incident in Akrotiri and flight cancellations by airlines including Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines.

Reinforcing Cyprus’ Reputation

Industry stakeholders state that Cyprus remains a safe destination. Efforts are focused on improving international perception through targeted communication campaigns and engagement with tourism partners.

Quantifiable Impact On Bookings

Christos Angelides, General Manager at Pasyxe, said cancellations reached 42% during March and April. May data show a smaller decline, though booking levels remain below expectations. Industry responses include outreach to travel agents, media campaigns, and coordination with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism.

Sector-Wide Pressures And A Call For Collaborative Solutions

Chrysemily Psilogeni, General Manager at Stek, said hotel operators face operational pressure during the spring period. A wage support scheme covering 30% of salaries for April remains in place. Uncertainty persists due to flexible booking policies and ongoing geopolitical developments affecting travel demand.

Charting A Course Toward Recovery

Industry participants are focused on limiting losses and stabilizing demand. Coordination between public authorities and private sector stakeholders remains a priority. Future performance will depend on external conditions and tourism demand in the coming months.

payabl. Launches Click To Pay With Visa To Help Merchants Improve Checkout Conversion And Reduce Fraud

payabl. has launched Click to Pay with Visa, a new card payment experience designed to help merchants reduce checkout friction, improve authorisation rates, and deliver a faster, more secure online payment journey.

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Click to Pay replaces manual card number entry with a token-based checkout experience. Once a customer’s card is enrolled, they can complete purchases in just a few clicks, without re-entering card details. The result is a faster checkout that mirrors the ease of contactless payments in-store, while maintaining strong security standards.

For merchants, the impact is measurable. According to Visa, Click to Pay can deliver up to a 11% uplift in authorisation rates compared to manual card entry, alongside significant fraud reduction through network tokenisation. Faster checkout also helps reduce cart abandonment, particularly on mobile, where typing card details remains a major source of friction.

“With online checkout, every extra step costs conversion,” said Breno Oliveira, Chief Product Officer at payabl. “Visa Click to Pay removes one of the biggest points of friction at the moment of purchase. It helps merchants approve more legitimate transactions, reduce fraud exposure, and give customers the experience they already expect.” 

Visa Click to Pay is available through payabl. checkout, enabling merchants to activate the service without additional integration complexity. The solution works across devices and supports existing security flows, including 3D Secure where required.

“Consumers have come to expect a highly personalised, intuitive, and seamless payment experience, whether they’re buying a coffee, shopping online, or applying for a loan. Visa Click to Pay aims to meet these expectations by removing the need to manually enter card details, thus enhancing both security and the consumer experience in online card payments. With the support of network tokens, Visa Click to Pay enabled a more secure and smoother transaction process, available in many countries around the world. According to European VisaNet data, Visa Click to Pay may allow a 4.5% uplift in merchant sales, meaning a possible annual increase of €51 bn in SMB eCommerce sales in the UK and EU,” said Michael Ioannides, Country Manager, Visa Cyprus.

The launch forms part of payabl.’s broader focus on checkout optimisation, helping merchants improve conversion, approvals, and payment reliability at scale. Click to Pay with Visa is now live for eligible merchants across Europe. 

Checkout expectations are rising across Europe 

Insights from payabl.’s State of European Checkouts report underline why frictionless checkout experiences are becoming a commercial priority. The research found that consumers cite speed (46%), convenience (44%), and security (41%) as the top reasons for choosing a payment method. More than half of consumers (53%) are open to switching to newer payment methods and nearly half (48%) are open to one-click checkouts, provided the solution is backed by a trusted brand such as Visa.

“Checkout is no longer just the final step of a transaction,” said Oliveira. “It is a critical part of the overall customer experience. Our research shows that 43% of European consumers will not return to a site after a poor checkout experience. For merchants across the UK and Europe, that translates directly into lost customers and lost revenue.”

The launch forms part of payabl.’s broader focus on checkout optimisation, helping merchants improve conversion, approvals, and payment reliability at scale. Click to Pay with Visa is now live for eligible merchants across Europe.

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