All the while, the island is as busy with tourists as it always is, flights are operating normally, and our hotels and cultural attractions are open as usual.
Mike and Jennifer Wright, from Nottingham, are currently on holiday in Paphos, and were about to board a bus for a sightseeing tour of the west coast city when I spoke to them. They said: “We have been coming to Cyprus for years and love it here. It’s awful what’s happening in the Middle East, but we haven’t seen or heard anything that makes us feel unsafe here.”
Their friends, Tony and Ann Taylor, also from Nottingham, agreed: “We feel completely comfortable and safe here. I guess we hesitated a bit about whether to come or not before we left home last Wednesday, especially when you see the news reports and think how close Cyprus is, but we haven’t seen anything here that makes us worry. We’re very relaxed.”
Ioannis Georgiou, a taxi driver based in Paphos, added: “There are many tourists here at the moment – and everyone seems happy. I think what’s happening over there in the Middle East is horrible, but I don’t feel worried. I live here myself with my family and we feel completely safe.”