The Parliament of Cyprus has extended the grace period for obtaining the necessary licences for the legalization of hotel complexes and tourist accommodation facilities.
A session was held on Friday, March 15, at which 26 deputies voted in favor and only one abstained.
Thus, the owners were given a reprieve until December 31, 2025. Individuals and legal entities managing hotels or tourist accommodation facilities that do not provide the necessary certificates and documents to the Deputy Ministry of Tourism by this date, confirming that they have taken the necessary actions to eliminate all their construction defects and violations, will be penalized. In particular, criminal prosecutions will be initiated against the owners of such establishments, during which they intend to issue orders to suspend the hotel companies.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, by the end of 2023, only 60 out of 816 hotels (that is 7.35%) have renewed their licenses.
This means that the vast majority had not done so. The reason was that they did not meet the legal requirements. As for recreational facilities, out of the 3.6 thousand registered only 2.23 thousand or 64% renewed their operating licenses, while 38%, or 1.37 thousand did not do so.
The agency warned that this situation created a threat to the health and safety of visitors. And also said that the main reasons for refusing to renew the license were frivolous renewals and modifications made without obtaining the appropriate approvals, such as planning approvals and building permits.
Of the 35 five-star hotels operating on the island at the end of last year, only four had valid licenses. The same was true for only nine of the 58 four-star hotels. In addition, 19 five-star hotels and 43 four-star hotels have been operating without a license since 2009.