Hotel occupancy in Limassol has reached up to 92%, helped by last-minute bookings and strong domestic demand.
Last-minute bookings, mainly from the domestic market, helped Limassol offset losses from outbound travel during the crucial first half of August.
With hotel occupancy reaching 92% in Limassol city and approximately 90% in rural areas, the district managed to keep bed bookings close to 2025 levels, despite a difficult start to the summer season.
Limassol was affected early in the summer, while tensions around Akrotiri, which at one point resembled a conflict zone, also had a significant impact because of the area's proximity to the city.
Where visitors are coming from
"Fortunately, we had some last-minute bookings that helped bring us to roughly the same levels as last year's very successful season," PASYXE Limassol chairman Christos Tzanos told Politis.
"We still have room for improvement and can attract even more tourism to Limassol city and district. There is always scope for better results, and that is what we are working towards," he said.
Asked about conditions in the mountain resorts, Tzanos said the domestic tourism market appeared to favour those destinations this year.
"The mountains were particularly popular during the August holiday period. We also had good weather, which helped further," he added.
According to Tzanos, approximately 30% to 40% of hotel bookings in Limassol come from Israeli visitors, while a similar percentage comes from British tourists and other Europeans.
Around 20% of bookings involve Russians, Ukrainians and travellers from other eastern countries.
The picture differs in the mountain resorts, where around 60% of bookings come from Cypriots and foreign permanent residents.
Russian-speaking visitors also maintain a strong presence in mountain villages, while Israeli visitors are increasingly choosing those destinations as well.