The Cypriot authorities intend to introduce temporary licences for tourist establishments that do not have an official licence to operate.
The move is aimed at preserving jobs and giving owners time to rectify violations and bring facilities up to fire and health standards.
According to Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis, head of the tourism committee, previous legislative initiatives were ineffective: out of hundreds of establishments, less than 100 were granted licences. The new bill provides for the possibility of granting temporary licences for up to six years to establishments that do not meet all the requirements by the end of 2025.
To apply for a temporary licence, owners must submit an application with certified architectural drawings and a fire safety plan. This decision should improve safety and allow establishments to continue operating without affecting the tourism industry. It is also expected that establishments with a temporary licence will be required to pay a compensation fee and display the licence at the reception desk. Establishments that fail to complete the process in time will be required to do so by the end of 2025.
As a reminder, almost 90% of hotels in Cyprus operate without a licence.
This is despite the fact that the Cypriot authorities have gone out of their way to meet the needs of the tourism industry, giving them a five-year grace period to obtain the necessary permits. For example, for construction. In particular, by the end of June 2024, only 78 out of 816 hotels, or 10.8%, had renewed their operating licences. 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, of the 3.6 thousand registered, only 2.23 thousand or 64% renewed their operating licences, while 38% or 1.37 thousand did not.
It is worth noting that in order to obtain an operating licence, hotels must provide a number of certificates that their establishments meet health and safety standards, including food handling, the suitability of any swimming pools they may have and lifts. They must also have planning permission.