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Paphos, Hoteliers Pledge Closer Cooperation As Cyprus Tourism Slows

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 30, 2026

Cyprus Tourism Slows As Occupancy And Arrivals Fall Below Last Year’s Levels

Cyprus’ tourism sector is facing a weaker summer season than last year, with hotel occupancy, visitor arrivals and overnight stays all trending below 2025 levels despite improving bookings in recent weeks.

The softer outlook comes as Paphos Municipality and the Cyprus Hoteliers Association (Pasyxe) reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation on tourism development and service quality during a meeting at Paphos Town Hall.

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Acting Mayor Angelos Onisiforou and newly elected Pasyxe President Yiannos Pantazis said they would continue working together to strengthen Paphos’ tourism offering and address challenges facing the sector.

Occupancy Remains Below Last Year

Pasyxe Director General Christos Angelides said hotel occupancy is averaging about 85% during July and August, around 10% to 15% below last year’s levels. Although bookings have improved in recent weeks, uncertainty continues to affect demand for the autumn season, he said.

Angelides attributed the weaker performance to higher energy costs, expensive air travel and regional instability, adding that the industry is focusing on extending the tourism season beyond the summer months.

“Our biggest hope is to build on last year’s performance during the November 2026 to April 2027 period. That is where we believe the difference can be made,” he said.

Travel Industry Reports Softer Demand

Association of Cyprus Travel and Tourist Agents (ACTTA) President Haris Papacharalambous also said tourism activity remains below last year’s levels, although the decline has been moderate.

He said the Famagusta district has been more heavily affected than other regions and pointed to regional instability as one of the main factors influencing demand. Israel was the only major source market to record significant growth, with arrivals rising sharply from June 2025 after travel had been disrupted by the Israel-Iran conflict.

Papacharalambous said overnight stays are expected to finish 2026 around 12% to 14% below last year’s record level.

Arrivals Continue To Decline

Official figures from the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat) show tourist arrivals fell 1.7% year on year in June to 489,965.

During the first six months of 2026, arrivals declined by 10.1% to 1.66 million, down from 1.84 million in the same period of 2025.

The United Kingdom remained Cyprus’ largest source market in June, accounting for 33% of arrivals, followed by Israel with 16.4% and Poland with 7.3%. Holiday travel represented 81.6% of total arrivals.

Paphos Gains International Recognition

Despite the weaker market conditions, Paphos recently received international recognition after being named the world’s top destination for sunrise and sunset views in a ranking by photo-printing company Cewe.

The ranking, produced in partnership with travel photographer Bella Falk and featured by Travel + Leisure, highlighted locations including Petra tou Romiou, Paphos Castle and the Edro III shipwreck.

Nasos Hadjigeorgiou, executive director of the Paphos Regional Tourism Board, said the recognition would strengthen the city’s profile in international markets while supporting efforts to promote tourism beyond the traditional summer season.

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Retail’s AI Push Faces A Cybersecurity And Regulatory Reality Check

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 19, 2026

Artificial intelligence is becoming a strategic priority for retailers, with 80% of retail leaders planning to increase investment in the technology, according to EY’s latest CEO Outlook Survey. However, growing concerns over cybersecurity, customer privacy and regulation could complicate adoption across an industry already facing inflation, geopolitical uncertainty and changing consumer expectations.

Confidence In AI Comes With Risks

The survey found that 80% of retail leaders are confident in their ability to expand the responsible use of AI and customer data. Retailers are increasingly applying the technology to demand forecasting, inventory management, customer service and personalised marketing, seeking to improve efficiency and respond more quickly to market changes.

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Yet adoption brings new vulnerabilities. EY found that 24% of retail leaders identified cybersecurity and data privacy as a leading business risk for the year ahead. Retailers manage sensitive customer information, payment systems and complex supply chains, making effective security and governance essential as AI becomes more deeply embedded in their operations.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 highlights the wider challenge: 87% of organisations reported rising cyber risks linked to AI vulnerabilities, while 94% expected malicious AI to have a significant impact on cybersecurity in 2026.

Regulation Will Shape AI Adoption

Regulatory frameworks are also influencing how quickly retailers can expand their use of AI. The European Union’s AI Act, China’s state-led governance model and measures introduced by individual US states are shaping the rules around the technology.

For retailers, compliance is becoming a strategic consideration, particularly for customer-facing applications that use personal data to personalise offers, automate interactions or analyse consumer behaviour. Regulatory missteps could carry significant costs in a sector where customer trust is critical.

EY Outlines Four Possible Futures

EY recommends that retailers plan for multiple outcomes rather than assume the current investment boom will continue uninterrupted. Its analysis draws on a four-scenario framework developed by Jim Dator of the University of Hawaii.

One scenario envisages constrained AI adoption as economic pressures, regulation, cyberattacks, legacy systems and poor data quality limit progress. Retailers in this environment may prioritise lower-risk back-office applications, such as finance, procurement, inventory and logistics, while customer-facing tools face resistance.

A second scenario anticipates continued growth, with sustained investment and widespread adoption. A third envisages deeper economic and social transformation as technology reshapes business operations. The fourth considers systemic breakdown, in which a small number of technology platforms control access to AI models and charge premium prices, potentially making advanced capabilities less accessible even to large retailers.

Governance Will Determine Competitive Advantage

EY’s findings suggest that investment alone will not determine which retailers benefit most from AI. Companies will also need robust cybersecurity, effective governance and strategies that can adapt to different economic, technological and regulatory conditions.

For a sector operating on tight margins, the challenge is to turn AI investment into lasting business value while managing the risks that come with greater dependence on the technology.