Remember when Ayia Napa shut down?

It was a ghost town; a shadow of the usual: clubs and pubs were boarded, beaches empty – no locals, let alone tourists.

After the boom of 2019 (almost 4 million visitors), 2020 was a washout. Arrivals collapsed by 85 per cent; tourism revenue plummeted. Hotels and workers were subsidised by the government. A lean year all round, thanks to the pandemic.

Cut to summer 2026.

As you know, this year, there’s another crisis in the making. We’ve all seen the news, noted the missile that hit Akrotiri.

But will that impact our summer visitors?

Because, sometimes we hear ‘everything’s fine, they’ll still come’. At others, we get a much direr picture: ‘Alas… Cyprus is going to starve!’

Thing is, there’s some truth to the latter.

In March 2026, tourist arrivals were already down 31 per cent year-on-year. By April, arrivals had fallen again, and the government was subsidising hotels.

In early May, small shopkeepers’ association Povek said tourist business turnover had already dropped 50 per cent as a result of the conflict, and sought an urgent meeting with Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis.

And now?

Well, who knows what will happen? Things seem to change every day.

The only thing we can be sure of is that tourists are not suddenly going to jump on a flight to Cyprus in their millions. Not quite yet, anyway…

“Except for the pandemic years, we’ve been coming to Cyprus for a month every summer since 2016,” says retired nurse, Denise, from Kent. “We book the same apartment in Paphos, go to the same tavernas; it’s our second home.”

This year, friends and family have been cautioning against the holiday. “Our kids are telling us to cancel,” says Denise. “But we’re not going to. Paphos isn’t near anything anyone would want to attack. Cyprus, as a whole, feels totally separate from stuff in the Middle East. So, short of someone physically stopping the plane, we’ll be there.”

Andreas, 44, a second-generation Cypriot from Melbourne, concurs. “My parents have cousins and friends all over Nicosia, so, every few years, we all head back in August. We’ve already booked the flights and got time off work.

“Obviously if the situation escalated we’d rethink. But at the moment? No, we’re still planning to come.”

Twenty-three-year-old Maja from Poland is of the same opinion. “We have all been talking of this trip for many months. It is my friend’s wedding holiday, too. We have booked a villa near Ayia Napa, and a boat; our tickets are paid. We are coming!”

Granted, this is a very ad hoc sample of Cyprus’ potential summer visitors. But the consensus seems to be the same. Of those we spoke to, only Petra demurred.

“We have not been to Cyprus before,” says the middle-aged German, who was considering a visit with her husband. “We wanted very much to visit in early autumn; our friends have told us of the weather and the scenery. But we do not know what will happen, so I think it is safer to go elsewhere this year.”

Whether the tourists come or not, the island is still preparing for summer. With the weekend weather looking up, pools, pubs and umbrellas are all starting to open…

After the unseasonable rain of last week, temperatures inland are climbing rapidly, with Nicosia hitting 31°C on Friday and Monday, and real-feel temperatures pushing as high as 35 degrees. Evenings remain pleasant for now, dropping to around 16-19°C.

Along the coast, Limassol settles into classic early-summer weather: sunshine, sea breezes, and temperatures hovering around 27 to 28 degrees, though humidity will make it feel warmer. Larnaca and Paphos follow a similar pattern – bright, humid and increasingly summery as the weekend progresses.

Ayia Napa remains slightly cooler, with temperatures around 24-25°C, breezy afternoons, and near-perfect beach conditions for visitors escaping northern Europe.

And in Troodos, things still feel unexpectedly fresh after the recent rain. Friday may bring a few lingering showers, but by Sunday the mountains return to cooler sunshine and walking weather, with temperatures climbing back towards 20 degrees.

For all our worries, warnings, and headlines, the island itself keeps moving steadily towards summer.

Right now, there’s a woman in Woking checking the water wings still work. Because tourism has always depended on more than statistics. It’s about instinct; perception; feeling. And, despite everything, many people still seem to look at Cyprus and see what they’ve always seen: sunshine, safety and a place slightly removed from the chaos of the wider world.

Whether that feeling lasts all summer remains to be seen. But for now, at least, Cyprus waits beneath another blue sky – sunbeds serried, tavernas table-clothed and hoteliers hoping.

Weekend weather tips

  • The heat is returning quickly. After last week’s rain, inland temperatures are jumping sharply into summer mode.
  • Humidity will make it feel hotter. Especially along the coast, where real-feel temperatures push into the low 30s.
  • UV levels are extremely high. Even with cloud cover in places, the sun remains intense across the island.
  • Troodos is still the escape option. Cooler air and fresh mountain conditions make it ideal for walking and long lunches.
  • Beach season has properly begun. Ayia Napa, Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos are all settling into classic early-summer weather.