Short-term rentals in Famagusta are looking to benefit from the tourist season extending through late November, presenting an interesting challenge for hosts in Ayia Napa and Protaras: can these extra weeks of tourism activity translate into bookings for apartments and villas when many hotels will already have closed?
The signals from the hotel sector are encouraging. Continued flight connections and some package holiday programmes are creating the conditions for visits in the final month of autumn too. For short-term rentals, however, the opportunity needs to be assessed against the demand that actually reaches each property.
Available data show that Cyprus’s market does not go quiet after summer. But they also show that November calls for different expectations from October.
More than 418,000 overnight stays last November
According to Eurostat data presented by the Cyprus Mail, guest nights in short-term rental accommodation booked through Airbnb, Booking and Expedia in Cyprus reached 927,909 in September 2025 and 892,306 in October.
In November, they fell to 418,072. In other words, activity dropped by more than half compared with October, but still represented a substantial number of overnight stays.
These are guest nights, not the number of bookings or occupied properties. Moreover, the figures cover Cyprus as a whole and do not isolate Ayia Napa and Protaras. They therefore provide a picture of the market’s seasonality, without constituting a forecast for this year’s performance in the government-controlled Famagusta area.
Ayia Napa already has a substantial short-term rental market
Short-term rentals have a significant presence in the area. AirDNA’s public page for Ayia Napa, updated on 6 October and covering data through September 2026, lists 1,029 active listings.
The average occupancy rate is shown as 60% of available nights, with an average daily rate of $242. These indicators cover the previous twelve months, according to the company’s definitions, and do not describe September alone or advance bookings for November.
For hosts, their significance lies in the existence of an established market that can capture part of the autumn demand. How large that share will be remains an open question.
What keeps Famagusta open
According to reporting by Politis, the president of PASYXE’s Famagusta branch, Panayiotis Constantinou, believes that this November could perform better than last year’s for hotels that continue operating.
More properties are expected to remain open until mid- or late November, although the majority will close at the end of October or in early November. Support comes from low-cost airlines and tour operators planning to continue some of their programmes, mainly bringing visitors from the United Kingdom, the Scandinavian countries and Israel.
Hotel occupancy in September was around 85%–90%, according to him. This figure refers to hotels. Although there are no equivalent figures for short-term rentals in Famagusta, it is clear that increased demand will have a positive impact on these properties too.
The challenge for hosts
For hosts in the government-controlled Famagusta area, continued flights are a positive sign. Package holidays, however, primarily direct visitors to partner hotels. Short-term rentals need to attract travellers who choose their accommodation independently.
The business opportunity lies in adapting the offering: rates that reflect autumn demand, minimum stays that do not rule out short breaks, and clear information about services that remain available near the property.
The accuracy of the listing is equally crucial. November guests need to know whether the pool is operating, which dining options are available nearby, and whether they can get around easily without a car.
Famagusta is aiming to extend its tourist season. For hosts, the aim is for those extra weeks to generate additional revenue after commissions, cleaning and operating expenses. That will determine whether it is worth keeping November open on the calendar.
