NEWS Cyprus fam trip: Agents urged to support destination. Andrew McQuarrie reports from Paphos


Agents on fam trip find it’s business as usual in Cyprus


M


ore than 80 travel agents on a Cyprus mega-fam have been reassuring clients


that the destination is safe and operating as usual, nearly two months on from a drop in bookings prompted by the Iran war. The agents, who were hosted for


three nights by Constantinou Bros Hotels at the Asimina Suites Hotel in Paphos, said they looked forward to securing bookings for the coming weeks and months. Julie Crumpton, head of retail at


Silver Travel Advisor, said: “I’m doing a video of the whole trip to show everywhere’s still busy, so I can help get people’s confidence back.” In the week after a drone hit


RAF Akrotiri on March 1, causing minimal damage, the Constantinou Bros group recorded a 15% slump in bookings, according to general manager Aristos Diomedous, before


its performance gradually improved through the rest of March and April. “We’re now seeing a lot of late


bookings,” said Diomedous. “For July to November, we’re not affected at all. We’re even up year on year.” Costas Koumis, Cyprus’s deputy


minister of tourism, gave a pre-dinner speech to the agents on the final night of their trip, urging them to continue supporting the destination. “We wanted to give you the chance


to experience how Cyprus is,” he said. “We’re 1,200km from Iran. Cyprus is not part of this story and it has never been part of the problem. Cyprus has always been a pillar of peace.” He added: “I’m optimistic that


by the end of the year we’ll have had another successful year, and we want to believe the year will be successful for you as travel agents too. “Please try to inform your


clients how safe and beautiful the destination is.”


Aristos Diomedous Reflecting on his last interview


with Travel Weekly at the end of March, Koumis said Cyprus’s inbound figures were “much better”, adding: “The cancellations have almost stopped and bookings are coming back, but probably not at the same high level we had this time last year, which was the best year ever for Cyprus tourism.” Alex Babic, sales and marketing


director at Constantinou Bros Hotels,


said the group hosts about 300 agents in total each year, adding: “They’re our number-one distribution channel and we do everything for them. We’re here to assist.” Many of the visiting agents stayed


in the newly built fifth-floor suites at the Asimina Suites Hotel; they also attended a cocktail reception in the new St Andrew’s Rooftop Bar. Both will open to the public on May 2.


AGENTS’ VIEWS OF CYPRUS


Julie Crumpton, Silver Travel Advisor “One of the reasons I wanted to come was


Costas Koumis


12 30 APRIL 2026


to highlight how safe Cyprus is and show it’s still a great place to visit. I had a couple of people who amended their dates, but we’ve encouraged most of our clients to still come. It’s a year-round resort. We came here in November a couple of years ago and it was beautiful weather – we were in the sea.”


Sally Andrews, Experience It Now Travel “I’ve never sold Constantinou Bros Hotels


before, so I was keen to come here. I’d been to Larnaca before, but this trip was more about understanding what Cyprus has to offer. It’s been an amazing experience and will hopefully set me up for some good bookings. Lots of customers would find these hotels suitable for their needs, including wedding parties and special-interest groups.”


Sarah Gardner, Auria Travel “I’d never been to Cyprus, but it’s always


been somewhere I’d wanted to go and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. The food and drink have been non-stop. It’s been great to see the different types of hotel rooms, as well as the Troodos mountains and Aphrodite’s Rock. I hadn’t sold much Cyprus before, so it’s now a place I can push people towards.”


The group at the Constantinou Bros Asimina Suites Hotel


Deluxe Superior Suite


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURES: Andrew McQuarrie


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