Our View: War posturing risks damaging Cyprus’ tourism sector
We had warned last Sunday that President Nikos Christodoulides’ move to secure military support from a host of EU countries could backfire, by creating the impression abroad that Cyprus was involved in the war being waged by Israel and the United States against Iran. The government, we had argued, was sending out mixed signals by inviting a multinational armada of warships to the Cyprus seas while reassuring everyone that the island was not a target.
What was the need of protection from EU partners, whose frigates are not in the East Med exclusively for Cyprus’ sake, if it was not a target? Events proved that Cyprus was not a target. Apart from two drones sent from Lebanon by Hezbollah, hitting the runway in the British base in Akrotiri two weeks ago, and a couple of minor incidents subsequently, there was no hint that Cyprus was a target, needing navy protection. Yet Christodoulides continued to act as if Cyprus were a target and ready to defend itself, with help from his new allies.
On Monday we saw him playing host to French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Paphos air base, where four Greek F-16s were based. They spoke to journalists with an assault helicopter in the background, while Macron inspected the weaponry at the air base. Christodoulides then visited the Greek frigate, Kimon, accompanied by Mitsotakis. It was a peculiar way for the president to convey his government’s message that Cyprus was not a target. This unnecessary PR show made mockery of the government narrative, which was based on the facts.
On Wednesday, after complaints from hoteliers about the drastic fall in bookings (60 per cent down on last year, according to some hoteliers) Christodoulides called a meeting of tourism industry stakeholders at the presidential palace to decide how to counter the negative coverage of Cyprus abroad. The meeting, he said, was held “to coordinate our actions in order to address the completely false image that some people, especially abroad, are creating”.
There was no acknowledgement of the possibility that his actions may have contributed to the creation of this image. “Life does not correspond in any way to the exaggerations that we often see in the international media,” said the government spokesman after the meeting. The situation had been made worse by the media and opposition parties of the UK – our main tourist market – using the drone strike on Akrotiri to lambast the PM Keir Starmer for failing to defend British territory. Many UK media sent journalists to the island after the drone incident and their mere presence here created the impression that Cyprus was in a war zone, a perception assisted by our government’s actions.
The question is what do we do now? Can the slowdown in bookings be reversed? Press reports suggest the government has decided to hire a strategic communications company to help change the negative picture abroad, which is a start. Changing perceptions abroad might not be so easy, however good the communications strategists might be, as long as the war continues. More worrying is that nobody knows when the war will be over, when the American president will decide the war has achieved its goal – whatever this might be. Now the main goal of the US is to re-open the strait of Hormuz, the closure of which has pushed the price of oil to more than $100 per barrel. How long will this take, bearing in mind that it might require troops on the ground to end Iran’s blockade?
Cyprus tourism was also hit by the Iraq war in 2003, which was staged at the same time of year, but that was over in about 40 days (by May 1st) and hotel bookings recovered. There is still time to save this year’s tourist season, as long as the government does not engage in military posturing and pretend it is in the centre of action again.