A Foreign Office travel alert has been issued as wildfires forced evacuations from key tourist resort areas in Cyprus at the start of the peak summer holidays.
An updated travel advisory on Thursday warned of “active wildfires”, including in the Paphos and Limassol districts in the south of the island.
However, Christos Angelides, director general of the Cyprus Hotel Association, told Travel Weekly: “We would like to clarify that there has been no impact on the hotels that are members of the Cyprus Hotel Association.
“On the contrary, several of our members have actively supported the situation by offering available rooms to individuals in need.
“The evacuations mentioned in the UK Foreign Office advisory concern specific villages in Cyprus and do not affect the established tourist areas of the island where visitors spend their holidays.”
These have resulted in some evacuations from affected areas as temperatures were reportedly forecast to hit 45C.
At least two people are reported to have been killed after a blaze broke out in the village of Malia in the Limassol district.
Homes and holidays villas have been destroyed as firefighters tackle fires which have ravaged more than 38 square miles of wooded hillsides.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said on Thursday: “Transport and infrastructure (electricity, water) links in locations close to the fires may be affected whilst the authorities respond to the situation.”
Both Paphos and Larnaca airports are operating as normal.
“If you are due to travel to an area that might be affected by wildfires, contact your travel operator or accommodation provider before you travel to check that it is not currently impacted. Make sure you have appropriate insurance,” the FCDO travel advisory said.
The alert added that wildfires “are highly dangerous and unpredictable” and the situation can change quickly.
“Be cautious if you are in or near an area affected by wildfires. You should follow the guidance of the emergency services,” the advisory added.
“Call the Cypriot emergency services on 112 if you are in immediate danger.
“Contact your airline or travel operator, who can assist you with information relating travel back to the UK.”
The Cypriot government ordered the “immediate evacuation” of all campsites in the wider Troodos mountains area.
Various archaeological sites will remain closed as a precautionary measure “due to the severe wildfire that has affected the area of Lemesos [Limassol],” the culture ministry announced.
“The extremely bad air quality, the high temperatures, and the risk of the fires reigniting in some areas constitute threats to the safety of visitors.”
