Larnaca tourism outlook ‘very positive’ for 2026

The tourism outlook for Larnaca in 2026 is shaping up as “very positive”, according to the president of the Larnaca Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nakis Antoniou.

This assessment is a reflection of growing investor interest, infrastructure upgrades and the city’s longer-term cultural momentum.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on the sidelines of the Chamber’s annual general meeting, Antoniou said the designation of Larnaca as European Capital of Culture for 2030 is expected to further strengthen the city’s appeal.

“The fact that Larnaca won the title of European Capital of Culture for 2030 will also help in increasing the attraction of tourists,” he said.

Against this backdrop, he added that “the tourism prospects for the city are very positive”, a trend reinforced by “approximately 20 applications for the construction of small hotel units, for example boutique hotels in Larnaca”.

He said that “the applications for the creation of small hotel units in Larnaca include existing buildings as well as new tourist accommodations”.

Boutique hotels, Antoniou noted, “do not have everything that a large hotel with hundreds of rooms has”, meaning visitors “go out and visit the restaurants, cafes and everything that Larnaca has to offer in its picturesque neighborhoods and beyond”.

This investment interest, he said, reflects a broader assessment of the city’s trajectory.

“The investors for the construction of the small hotel units did their own research and have realized that Larnaca has great prospects in terms of tourism,” Antoniou said, adding that “the removal of the oil tanks that existed for dozens of years on the Larnaca beachfront also helped greatly in the positive perspective of tourism for the city”.

Turning to the long-discussed development of the Larnaca port and marina, Antoniou said that clarity is expected soon. “Around the end of January, we will have a meeting with the Minister of Transport who will inform us about the latest developments,” he noted.

He added that stakeholders are awaiting details on “the pilot study for the development of the port and marina of Larnaca undertaken by the Public Investment Fund of Greece”, following an agreement signed with the government last May.

At the same time, he said, attention is focused on the pending position of the Legal Service of the Republic regarding “the request of businessman Panos Alexandrou, CEO of the company Prosperity Group CY Ltd, to undertake the development of the port and marina of Larnaca, on the basis of the existing contract of the Kition Ocean Holdings Consortium”.

As Antoniou explained, “about a year ago, the company Prosperity Group CY Ltd, which owns 20 per cent of the Kition Ocean Holdings consortium, submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Transport to undertake the integrated development of the city’s port and marina”.

Beyond the waterfront projects, Antoniou also referred to the expected completion within the year of Phase 3 of the Larnaca–Dhekelia coastal road.

The project, he said, “will give the city another perspective for development”, adding that “the completion of this road network will help in easier access for local and foreign visitors but also in increasing the tourist flow in Larnaca”.

Overall, he said, the outlook remains encouraging.

“We are optimistic about the future of the city,” Antoniou concluded, pointing to “an increase in the tourist flow while at the same time there is a great demand for investments”.