Troodos: Cyprus’s diamond in the rough

Opinion environmentnatureTourismtroodos Troodos: Cyprus’s diamond in the rough Troodos Cyprus’s Untapped Gem Relevant News Troodos: Cyprus’s diamond in the rough 29 June 2026 Tony Blair-Christodoulides meeting on Cyprus Board of Peace summit scrapped over flight delay 29 June 2026 When a €10,000 sculpture was sold for scrap metal 29 June 2026 Angelos Angelodimou 29 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber We have always had a particular soft spot for the mountains and the wider Troodos range. That is why, from time to time, we keep stressing the need for incentives, infrastructure, investment and support for local services and businesses. The Troodos region is a unique lung of green landscape, natural beauty, traditional villages and cultural heritage. And yet, visitor numbers remain stubbornly low. Weekend trips by Cypriots are simply not enough to sustain local businesses, let alone provide stable income for residents. The festivals held in the area—rose, zivania, honey, lavender, spoon sweets, chocolate and many others—offer a welcome day out for locals. But they cannot sustain an entire regional economy. Despite the natural beauty and the significant investments made in recent years, foreign tourist arrivals remain extremely limited. Speaking recently to Epicheirimatiki Lemesos, the chairman of the Troodos Tourism Development Company, Nikos Matthaiou, highlighted the region’s problems and the reasons behind its lack of development, particularly in tourism. Among other things, he pointed to poor connectivity and general difficulty of access as arguably the single biggest obstacle to further tourism growth. As he explained, the journey from the airports to Troodos can end up costing more than the flight itself, adding that there are no direct bus connections from Larnaca or Paphos airports to the mountain range. He said contacts have been made with the Transport Ministry and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, with ETAP submitting proposals for subsidised transport to Troodos via rural taxis. Under this plan, tourists booking at least three nights in local hotels could be transported from the airports using subsidised community-based taxis, thereby also supporting the local economy. At the same time, ETAP is promoting regional bus routes linking visitors to sites of interest, wineries, churches and workshops producing local products. He added that despite promotional efforts, recorded incoming tourism to Troodos remains extremely low, at around 2%. Domestic tourism alone, he stressed, is not enough to support hotels and agro-tourism units, as it is concentrated mainly at weekends. He also noted that several investments made in recent years, particularly hotels in Platres, have yet to deliver the expected returns due to low weekday occupancy. And we come back to what we said earlier. The development of the region remains a puzzle that is difficult to solve for those in charge. Yes, significant investments have been made in recent years. And more are expected to follow. Troodos has hotels, wineries, monasteries and churches, nature trails and more. In other words, it could support a wide range of tourism products. But if we cannot find ways to bring visitors up there, then whatever is invested risks becoming unsustainable. So the real challenge is to create incentives that attract tourism, and to build infrastructure that keeps young people in the region. That is what will generate economic activity and new jobs. Troodos remains a diamond in the rough for Cyprus, an untapped treasure that could help address both year-round tourism and urban concentration. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Tony Blair-Christodoulides meeting on Cyprus Board of Peace summit scrapped over flight delay When a €10,000 sculpture was sold for scrap metal Row erupts over Nicosia exhibition featuring artist behind occupied north flag Overnight pharmacies on Monday, June 29 Protest planned outside Presidential Palace over Gaza Board of Peace meeting in Cyprus Larnaca road due by 2026 won’t be ready before 2031, authorities confirm Apartments outpace houses as Cyprus property prices reach record highs Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.