How the Iran war is affecting tourism in Cyprus

Cyprus has seen a “slowdown in bookings” in the days since the US-Israel attack on Iran, the country’s Tourism Deputy Minister has said.

Speaking at the Cyprus Marathon on Sunday 8 March, Costas Koumis said that while Cyprus “was, is, and will always be a safe destination”, tourism has already been affected by the conflict in the Middle East, reports Cyprus Mail.

Cyprus is the closest EU country to the region, lying around 320 kilometres from Israel. Typical flight times between Larnaca and Tel Aviv are just an hour, and in 2025, nearly 590,000 Israeli tourists visited the island.

The destination is also popular among European tourists, with 2025 seeing 1.44 million Brits, 277,000 Germans and nearly 375,000 people from Poland visit, according to the Statistical Service of Cyprus (CYSTAT).

For those with a trip coming up, here’s what you need to know about the current situation for tourists.

‘Escalation poses significant security risks’

When planning a trip abroad, it is important to consult your country’s foreign ministry for travel alerts as these can affect the validity of your insurance.

At the time of writing, there are no warnings in place advising against visiting Cyprus from European countries.

However, the latest update on the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)’s Cyprus travel advice page does note that “regional escalation poses significant security risks and has led to travel disruption”.

Brits are advised to sign up to FCDO travel advice email alerts, and to monitor local and international media for the latest information.

The update comes after RAF Akrotiri, Britain’s main air base for operations in the Middle East, was targeted by drones last week as part of the conflict.

On 3 March, the US State Department updated its travel advisory for the island nation to level three – reconsider travel – “due to the threat of armed conflict and limited U.S. embassy assistance for Americans in the Turkish Cypriot Administered area”.

Flight cancellations to and from the Middle East

While airlines including British Airways, TUI and EasyJet cancelled some flights in the hours after the attack on the RAF base, flights from Europe to Cyprus have now resumed as normal.

There are cancellations to and from Paphos International Airport and Larnaca International Airport from Middle Eastern destinations including Haifa and Tel Aviv in Israel, Lebanon’s capital Beirut, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Doha in Qatar and Amman in Jordan.

Ban on private drones announced

Tourists should be aware that Cyprus has announced a ban on drones for private use.

According to the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Works, drone use will only be permitted by government departments.

The ban will remain in force until further notice.

Cancellations a blow after record year

While it is too early to predict the impact the conflict will have on Cyprus’ tourism industry, operators and accommodation providers are reporting cancellations for trips coming up over the next few weeks.

Sophia Efthymiou, who runs the short-term rental business Saimaan Stays, which has 15 properties across Omodos, Limassol, Larnaca and Lefkara, told Euronews Travel that the past week has seen 50 nights cancelled by 13 different upcoming guests.

“Our cancellation policy is moderate and therefore many of these could have waited even a couple more weeks to decide about cancelling and still get a full refund but they chose to cancel immediately,” Efthymiou said. “This is telling about public opinion in terms of travel in this region.

“These cancellations will reduce our income this month by at least 35%, which is of course a major dent to recover from after expenses and sunken costs are considered.”

Efthymiou said that the team are now considering putting some of the properties up for long-term rent as it carries less risk.

The news comes after a record year for tourism in Cyprus, with visitor numbers hitting 4.53 million in 2025, up 12.2% year on year.

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