UK tourists snub popular holiday island as visitors make same complaint

The holiday hotspot has been popular with holidaymakers over the years

A formerly popular holiday destination is being snubbed by Brits, according to a recent poll. Some have vowed to 'never' return to Ayia Napa in Cyprus thanks to a number of issues.

The news comes despite that fact that a 30 per cent of tourists who visit Cyprus are repeat visitors which is a high for the EU. But one disgruntled holidaymaker spoke to the Cyprus Mail about the aggressive sales tactics in Ayia Napa - an area known for a p[arty atmosphere.

"Everywhere in Ayia Napa there are reps," they said. They get in your face, touch your body..." A second added: "Ayia Napa was disgusting. Drunk Brits everywhere, even on the beach. The music was so loud we couldn't sleep. And everyone was selling something. I don't really want to come back."

READ MORE: The scandalous truth about Birmingham's child poverty emergency laid bare

An elderly Slovakian couple even claimed that: "The water was dirty." A tourist called Harry added: "We looked up the weather before we came. But it said Cyprus would be in the mid-30s in July, and we knew that'd be okay because we've been to Spain before and it's the same.

“What we didn't expect was 40-plus. For days on end. I paid for a beach holiday, so that's what I did, but I'm beginning to think I should have just spent all my time in my room."

"We have been before to Cyprus but not like this," one person said. "We were not happy even at night, it was too hot. Before, we used to eat by the sea and then go to the town. This time, we only went to the hotel restaurant because it had air conditioning."

And this tourist agreed: "It's silly to expect anywhere to stay the same, but the differences are becoming more pronounced with each trip. When I first visited, Cyprus was still a gem. Over the years, it's become overcrowded and over-commercialised.

"Everywhere you look, there's a new development going up. Even the mountain villages that used to be so peaceful and authentic are tourist traps now!”

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis said that despite this the country continues to experience 'remarkable growth' in both visitor numbers and revenue, The Express reports.

"There is no doubt that the current year is a year full of challenges for the tourism industry worldwide," he said. "The financial situation in many European countries, the reduction in the purchasing power of millions of households internationally, along with several other challenges have led to stakeholders' concerns regarding the performance of the sector, nevertheless the performance of the Cyprus tourism industry remains strong and the sector shows resilience."

Birmingham: A Child Poverty Emergency

Child poverty is soaring in Birmingham and without urgent change, will only get worse. Having worked with charities and community groups, BirminghamLive is campaigning for the following changes to start to turn the tide:

1. End the two-child benefit cap
2. Provide free school meals to every child in poverty
3. Create a city “aid bank” for baby and child essentials
4. Protect children’s and youth services
5. Create permanent, multi year Household Support Fund and give more Discretionary Housing grants
6. Set up child health and wellbeing hubs in our most deprived neighbourhoods
7. Appoint a Birmingham child poverty tsar
8. Provide free public travel for young people

You can see why in more detail here.

Read our full report Birmingham: A Child Poverty Emergency here.

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