As the war in Iran enters its fifth week and the UK Easter holidays arrive, British tourists have begun to cancel their holidays to Cyprus, with hotel bookings showing a marked slump compared with previous years. Photographs show deserted beaches and streets in usually packed hotspots, including Limassol and Protaras, while hotel bookings are down 40% on the Mediterranean island.

The launching of the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28 coincided with the reopening of Cyprus’ tourism industry after the winter break. Two days later, as Iran launched a series of counter-strikes, a drone struck the British military base RAF Akrotiri, on the island, triggering a wave of tourist cancellations. Daily cancellation rates for short-term rentals in Cyprus ​shot up from around 15% before the conflict to as high as 100% in the days after, ⁠according to data from US-based AirDNA, which tracks such bookings.

This figure has since dropped, but remained around 45% by March 21, with ​Greece and Turkey also seeing slight rises in cancellation rates.

Cyprus’ Hoteliers Association has seen an almost 40% drop in March bookings and a ​similar reduction in April, according to the association’s director-general, Christos Angelides, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Muskita Hotels, which operates three hotels in Cyprus, told the Financial Times it had witnessed 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 operates four hotels in Cyprus, has also seen a sudden surge in cancellations.

Cyprus achieved a record-breaking year in 2025, with over 4.5 million total visitor arrivals, with the UK the top market, contributing roughly 1.4 million visitors annually. However, its location in the far eastern Mediterranean – just 100 miles from the coasts of Lebanon and Syria – has led to a decline in its usual visitor numbers against the backdrop of regional instability.

The cost of accommodation in Cyprus in April and May was 12% lower last week than the week before the start of the conflict, according to Lighthouse Intelligence data. Package holidays to countries near the Middle East conflict are also being sold for as little as £100 as travel firms try to persuade travellers.

For example, a seven-night stay for two in Turkey at a three-star hotel in Marmaris, with flights from Luton, is on offer for just £100 per person next month, according to online travel firm, On The Beach, which saw its shares plummet after a slowdown in demand with the onset of the conflict. 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, Cyprus, for £50.

On March 2, a drone launched by a pro-Iranian militia struck the British military base at RAF Akrotiri, located in the Western Sovereign Base Area. An Iranian-type Shahed UAV caused slight damage when it hit facilities at Akrotiri in the early hours, which is said to have been launched by Iranian proxy group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

According to the latest FCDO travel advice, only parts of Cyprus and Turkey are on the “unsafe to fly” list.

The Express contacted the High Commission of Cyprus in the UK for comment and Ambassador Dr Kyriacos Kouros said: “We believe that Cyprus remains a safe, stable and highly popular choice for travellers. While we have seen some short-term fluctuations in booking patterns in recent weeks, this needs to be seen in the context of wider regional developments and does not reflect the overall outlook for Cyprus as a destination.