Almost 90% of hotels in Cyprus are still operating without licences.
This was announced by the Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday 24th July.
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 construction, for example. 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 around 3,600 registered, only 2,300 or 64% renewed their operating licences, while 36% or 1,370 did not.
The agency warned that this situation posed a threat to people's health and safety. It also said that the main reasons for not renewing a licence were arbitrary alterations and modifications made without obtaining the relevant permits, such as planning and building permits.
This situation poses a risk to the safety and health of both customers and employees of these businesses," the Ministry of Tourism said.
Taking a closer look at the cities of Cyprus:
- In Paphos and the free areas of Famagusta, where most hotels and private apartments and holiday homes are located, only 16 out of 270 tourist establishments have received licences. Of these: 5 hotels with 900 beds, 7 organised apartments with a total capacity of 924 beds, 2 traditional houses with 14 beds and 2 tourist villages with a total capacity of 855 beds. The licensed hotels included: one 4-star hotel with 288 beds, three 3-star hotels with 590 beds and one 1-star hotel with 22 beds.
- In Limassol, 19 tourist establishments were granted operating licences. Of these 11 hotels with 2,376 beds, one complex of organised apartments with 70 beds without category, 5 traditional hotels with 56 beds and two traditional apartments with 22 beds. Licensed hotels included: one 5-star hotel with 544 beds, three 4-star hotels with 946 beds, four 3-star hotels with 782 beds and one 1-star hotel with 60 beds, and two unclassified hotels with 44 beds.
- In Larnaca, 11 tourist establishments have been granted operating licences. Among them: 6 hotels, 3 organised apartments and 4 traditional buildings. The licensed hotels included: one 5-star hotel with 212 beds, two 4-star hotels with 908 beds and three 3-star hotels with 204 beds.
- In Nicosia, only 15 tourist establishments were licensed. Of these: 8 hotels with 774 beds, one complex of organised apartments without category with 10 beds, 6 traditional apartments with 58 beds and 2 traditional hotels with 28 beds. The licensed hotels included: one 5-star hotel with 388 beds and one 4-star hotel with 84 beds, two 3-star hotels with 146 beds and one 2-star hotel with 146 beds.
As a reminder, to obtain a licence to operate, hotels must provide several certificates to show that their facilities 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. However, hotels and other tourist facilities have recently been given a five-year grace period to obtain licences for their operations. There has also been a simplification of procedures compared to what was previously required by the CTO.