A British tour operator which sold holidays to northern Cyprus, among other destinations, closed on Thursday, with all future bookings cancelled.

The operator, which traded under the name Balkan Holidays, had organised holidays for British tourists for almost 60 years, before abruptly announcing that it had closed for business.

It reassured its customers who are currently on holiday that they will remain unaffected and said all those who have had their holidays cancelled will be notified and refunded in full.

The company had begun operating holidays to the north last year, with then national sales manager Lynsey Jones saying that “northern Cyprus is a wonderful holiday destination which is not offered by many tour operators, making it a major plus for our travel agent partners”.

The towns of Famagusta and Kyrenia were featured on the company’s website, while outside of Cyprus, the company also sold holidays to Bulgaria, Croatia, Malta, Montenegro, and Slovenia.

The news comes as the north’s tourism industry faces difficulties arising from dwindling numbers of international visitors, with former Cyprus Turkish tourism and travel agencies’ union (Kitsab) director Mustafa Soforoglu saying last year that the north is “suffering major losses” in its tourism sector.

He added that the north is facing a “serious decline in the number of foreign tourists”, particularly in terms of those travelling from the United Kingdom.

Delving into reasons why, he said the costs of flights to and accommodation in the north have both increased, which, he said, “makes it difficult for tourists” to choose to travel to the north.

Additionally, he said, “there is inadequate promotion in the international arena” in terms of advertising campaigns. He said this “reduces the capacity” of the north to attract tourists.

He also said the north’s ‘government’ has “removed incentives” which supported the tourism sector, and that there are also “negativities regarding security and the environment” which are persuading tourists to choose other destinations.

At the same time, the number of crossings to the north made by Greek Cypriots fell by 15 per cent in the final three months of last year, with the north’s rising cost of living leading them to choose to circulate more frequently in the Republic, rather than travel to the north for its cheaper prices as in years gone by.

When all non-Turkish Cypriots are accounted for, crossings made to the north at Cyprus’ nine crossing points fell by 7.2 per cent in 2024 compared to the year before.

Meanwhile, the number of Turkish tourists staying overnight in the north rose by almost 19 per cent last year, from 867,994 to 1,030,519, while the number of non-Turkish tourists staying overnight fell by 13.5 per cent from 309,115 to 267,249.