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Tourism Sector Achieves Record Growth and Sets Strategic Course for 2026

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 28, 2025

Unprecedented Growth Across All Levels

The tourism industry is marking historical milestones, breaking records and solidifying its resilience in a rapidly evolving economic landscape. Projections indicate that by 2025, the sector will reach new heights, with sustained momentum expected into 2026.

Strong Performance and Strategic Oversight

Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis provided an in-depth overview of the sector during a recent session of the Parliamentary Committee on Economic and Budgetary Matters. He highlighted the notable increase in tourism’s contribution to Cyprus’s GDP, record-breaking revenue figures, and landmark visitor arrivals. This robust performance is complemented by enhanced air connectivity and the formulation of a new National Tourism Strategy, all of which are laying the groundwork for continued success.

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Record Metrics and Future Projections

Minister Koumis expressed optimism regarding the pace set to continue through 2026. Key indicators include:

The approval of an updated National Tourism Strategy later in 2026.
Robust international marketing initiatives to elevate Cyprus’s global profile.
The introduction of a modern licensing and operational framework geared towards further enhancing the tourism product.

Notably, the tourism sector’s share of national GDP climbed from 13.3% in 2024 to 14% in 2025. Furthermore, between January and September 2025, visitor arrivals increased by 10.3% compared with the same period in the previous year and surged by 41% over three years. The first nine months of 2025 stand as the strongest in the history of Cypriot tourism, with Cyprus also recording the highest growth rate for overnight stays in the EU.

Budget Allocation and Investment Priorities

The tourism ministry’s budget for 2026 totals €74.6 million, with allocations strategically distributed to support promotional campaigns, enhance the tourism product through subsidy-linked initiatives, and cover operational costs. Among these expenditures, €27.7 million (37.1%) is dedicated to promotional campaigns, €14.9 million (20%) to tourism enhancement projects, and €19.5 million (25%) to operational initiatives. This comprehensive approach underscores the commitment to not only sustaining but also amplifying the sector’s growth trajectory.

Enhancing Air Connectivity

In the realm of air transport, Cyprus has made significant advances. Recent data from the Aviation Council International placed Cyprus second on a Europe-wide scale in improving air connectivity between 2025 and 2019, and top of the list in comparisons between 2025 and 2024. These improvements are largely attributed to the addition of direct flights to and from key airports in Europe and the Middle East.

Addressing Key Connectivity Vacuums

Deputy Minister Koumis also addressed existing connectivity gaps, notably the absence of a direct flight route between Larnaca Airport and Brussels. The Ministry of Transport has already initiated a competitive tender process to address this critical gap, further demonstrating a proactive approach to enhancing international accessibility.

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.