Spooked British tourists have started cancelling their holidays to Cyprus with hotel bookings down 40 percent on the island as war rages in the Middle East.
Photographs show deserted beaches and streets in hotspots such as Limassol and Protaras which are usually bustling with tourists during the Easter holidays.
The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, just as Cyprus’s tourism industry was reopening after winter.
Then on March 2, as Iran launched a series of counter-strikes, a drone struck a British naval base on the island, triggering a wave of tourist cancellations.
The drop in bookings is the latest sign of the war’s broad fallout, from disrupted oil flows to mass flight cancellations and worsening economic outlooks worldwide.
Daily cancellation rates for short-term rentals in Cyprus shot up from around 15 per cent before the conflict to as high as 100 per cent in the days after, according to data from US-based AirDNA, which tracks such bookings.
That figure has since dropped, but remained around 45 per cent by March 21. Greece and Turkey saw slight rises in cancellation rates, too.
Cyprus’ Hoteliers Association has seen a near 40 per cent drop in March bookings and a similar reduction in April, according to the association’s director-general, Christos Angelides.
Cyprus, which welcomed four million international visitors in 2025, relies heavily on tourism from the UK, with British travellers making up around a third of arrivals.
Beaches in Limassol, Cyprus, are usually packed with tourists enjoying the sunshine – but last week, many were left empty
The streets, normally filled with visitors during the spring and summer months, were noticeably quieter than usual in Protaras
The main strip in Protaras was left without its usual bustling crowds – with shops closed, restaurants empty and no tourists in sight
Cyprus’ Hoteliers Association has seen a near 40 per cent drop in March bookings and a similar reduction in April (Pictured: a nearly empty restaurant in Limassol)
People sit in a deserted cafe in a hotel in Limassol, as booking numbers have plummeted
But its location in the far eastern Mediterranean, just 100 miles from the coast of Lebanon and Syria in the Middle East, means the country is seeing a decline in its usual visitor numbers as regional instability grows.
As the war enters its fifth week, Iranian attacks continue on the Gulf states, with countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE reporting new strikes on Monday.
Barrages of Israeli strikes have also continued to hit Lebanon where the IDF is fighting Hezbollah.
This uncertainty has reportedly led tourists to reconsider their holiday plans, with locals worried about the potential impact of the conflict, especially with the Easter holidays approaching.
Muskita Hotels, which operates three hotels in Cyprus, told the Financial Times it had seen a wave of cancellations for holidays in March and April, as well as a steep slowdown in bookings for the rest of 2026.
Thanos Hotels and Resorts, which runs four hotels in Cyprus, has also experienced a sudden wave of cancellations.
And the cost of accommodation in April and May in Cyprus was 12 per cent lower last week than in the week before the start of the conflict, Lighthouse Intelligence data shows.
Even more dramatically, prices dropped by more than 25 per cent in Bodrum, a much-loved holiday destination in Turkey.
EasyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis told the FT: ‘If you look at a map of Europe, we saw obviously a drop in demand in Cyprus and Turkey and that side of Africa.’
Beaches in Cyprus, in Protaras and Limassol for example, have been noticeably quieter than usual – with visitors capturing footage of the abandoned hotspots.
One pair, known as Gypsy Souls, shared a clip last week on YouTube of the ’empty’ Protaras just days before the main 2026 season started – and highlighted the quiet main strip.
It comes after a drone launched by a pro-Iranian militia struck the British military base at RAF Akrotiri, located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, on 2 March, placing the island closer to the regional security situation.
An Iranian-type Shahed UAV caused slight damage when it hit facilities at Akrotiri in the early hours.
The suicide drone is said to have been launched by Iranian proxy group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Only parts of Cyprus and Turkey are on Foreign Office’s unsafe to fly list.
However, package holidays to countries near the Middle East conflict are being sold for as little as £100 as travel firms try to win bookings from concerned travellers.
Cheap deals include seven nights in Turkey at a three-star hotel in Marmaris with Luton flights for just £100 per person for a couple next month.
Others could take a week-long trip to Cyprus for just £165 per person, staying at three-star accommodation in Paphos with flights from Liverpool in April.
Return flights to the destinations are also very cheap, with Ryanair offering return flights from Stansted to Bodrum in Turkey for £49 and to Paphos in Cyprus for £50.
A man walks in Akrotiri village next to RAF Akrotiri, a British sovereign base in Cyprus
Protaras, a popular family-friendly resort in Cyprus, now has quieter beaches than usual
The country’s location means the it is seeing a decline in its usual visitor numbers (Pictured: a man walks in the old port in Limassol, Cyprus, March 24)
The Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen, part of a joint European mission to send defence assets to Cyprus for protection, is docked at the port of Heraklio
Pictured: a reception area in a hotel in Limassol is nearly deserted
The holiday prices are from online travel firm On The Beach, which saw its shares plunge after suspending its annual guidance due to war hitting bookings.
Shares fell by as much as 13 per cent earlier this month as the company reported a ‘significant slowdown in demand following the onset of conflict in the region, particularly to destinations such as Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt’.
Irene Hays, owner and chair of travel agency Hays Travels, told the Financial Times the rush to book holidays in places that seem to be more secure – like Malta, Croatia and Italy – has ‘pushed some prices up’.
Meanwhile, tour operator Kuoni has seen a 20 per cent booking increase for the Caribbean, compared with the same period in 2025, while bookings in Italy had climbed by more than half (55 per cent).
The Turks and Caicos Islands have been found to have seen the biggest boost in interest since the conflict started with share of Caribbean searches surging by 119 per cent.
The Dominican Republic was second with its search share up 100 per cent, while Tobago was third with a 79 per cent rise and St Lucia was in fourth up 55 per cent.
Antigua’s share rose 53 per cent, Jamaica was up 49 per cent and Aruba increased 42 per cent; while Barbados and the Bahamas were both up 23 per cent.
Chris Webber, head of holidays and deals at TravelSupermarket, said today: ‘When global events change holiday plans, we tend to see travellers pivot quickly.
People walk in the coastal city of Limassol, Cyprus, March 24
An empty souvenir shop in Limassol
Package holidays to countries near the Middle East conflict are being sold for as little as £100 (Pictured: tourists on deserted streets in Limassol)
The cost of accommodation in April and May in Cyprus was 12 per cent lower last week than in the week before the start of the conflict (Pictured: an empty hotel in Limassol)
‘The Caribbean is a natural beneficiary. What’s striking here isn’t just the overall jump in searches, but how broadly that interest is spread.
‘Destinations like Turks and Caicos and Tobago aren’t typically where British holidaymakers look first, so to see them surging suggests people are still keen to try somewhere new.’
The research analysed all searches on TravelSupermarket.com over the two weeks from March 2 to 15, compared to the previous fortnight.
British Airways Holidays has also seen a boost for the Caribbean, with Barbados searches up 46 per cent and Antigua up 63 per cent versus the same time last year.
BA last week announced an expansion of its Caribbean routes for this winter – including a new daily London Gatwick to Barbados service from October 25.
There will also be a standalone daily St Lucia service from the same date as well as increased flights from Gatwick to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
