No country in Europe is likely to be affected more than Cyprus, the nearest EU member to the Middle East, as the conflict with Iran deters tourists. The season has barely begun but Ayia Napa is already feeling the impact, with hoteliers reporting a drop in bookings.
Vassilis Georgiou, who runs a water sports business on the seafront, had expected another bumper year until last weekend's US-led offensive against Iran. 'That's far from certain now,' he said. 'It may be early days but I've been here since 1992 and suddenly hoteliers are saying bookings are down. People are thinking twice.'
Cyprus attracted 4 million visitors last year, a third of them Britons. But a drone attack on the British base of RAF Akrotiri, launched by pro-Iranian militia, has placed Cyprus firmly in the 'risk zone' and prompted flight cancellations. The British Foreign Office updated its travel advice, warning that terrorist attacks could not be ruled out.
Fotos Kikillos at Ayia Napa's town hall said: 'We're hearing of cancellations, of a certain numbness at this week's ITB.' However, he added: 'As you can see, life here is very safe. People are enjoying themselves. There's no sense of fear. The last thing we want in Cyprus is to be dragged into this war.'
Some tourists remain undeterred. Karin and Oliver Kiilaspa, from Estonia, flew in on the day the base was hit. 'We were a little worried because we're here with our baby daughter but we wanted to think positively,' said Karin. Others, like Danish retiree Marianne Steglich, said: 'I wasn't going to miss it because of what they [the US and Israel] are doing.'
Kostas Koumis, the Cypriot deputy tourism minister, conceded that while Cyprus had survived similar crises before, this time was different: the island had been forced to deal with a hostile incident on its own soil.
