Tourists visiting Cyprus say they are enjoying peaceful holidays despite fears raised by the recent drone strike on RAF Akrotiri, as the island’s tourism industry works to recover from cancellations and reassure travellers ahead of the peak summer season.
John Jones, from Queensferry in North Wales, is among those refusing to let recent events ruin his holiday. Relaxing by a pool near Ayia Napa, he described an atmosphere of calm, with mostly empty loungers and generous hospitality from hotel staff keen to look after guests.
“We knew the drone had hit the British base here,” Jones said. “It didn’t put us off at all.”
The strike on RAF Akrotiri on 1 March pushed Cyprus into international headlines and led to a wave of flight cancellations, prompting concern among tourism operators that travellers would avoid the island. But for some visitors who decided to continue with their plans, the experience has been unexpectedly positive.
“They keep giving me free beer,” Jones joked, praising the friendliness of staff and insisting he had “no worries, no problems.”
On a beach nearby, Swiss couple Alexandra and Jehiel said the regional conflict had forced them to rethink their original holiday plans to Thailand. Despite concerns from family members, they opted for Cyprus and found the island far quieter than expected.
“Our families were most stressed about this,” Alexandra said. “We arrived at the airport and there were some military guys but we spoke to the taxi driver and he told us we don’t need to be scared.”
Although the couple said nightlife in Ayia Napa had been subdued, with only a handful of bars open, they said the quieter atmosphere had offered a different kind of break.
“It’s been a good time to chill,” Jehiel said.
Cyprus welcomed more than 4.5 million tourists last year, making 2025 a record-breaking year for the sector. Officials and business leaders are now watching closely to see whether fears linked to regional instability will damage bookings for the months ahead.
Chryso Tsokkou, director of Tsokkos Hotels and Resorts, said a burst of cancellations followed the outbreak of conflict, especially during the first 48 hours when flights were disrupted. However, she said the situation has since begun to stabilise.
“It was not normal but it was expected,” she said. “Currently all the hotels are open. We had some people cancel for the immediate period and some cancellations for summer, but we have also had new bookings.”
Philokypros Roussounides of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce warned that tourism can be highly vulnerable to perception, even when a destination is not directly caught in conflict.
“The island is not directly affected by the conflict,” he said, “but in tourism perception can sometimes travel faster than geography.”
For most residents and visitors, daily life across Cyprus has continued largely unchanged. Evacuation orders in villages near RAF Akrotiri have been lifted, though the area remains on heightened alert.
British expat Victoria O’ffe said Cyprus had been unfairly viewed as unsafe.
“If we didn’t have access to British television we wouldn’t know it’s happening,” she said. “There’s no reason not to come. It’s really safe, the weather’s fantastic, food’s fantastic.”