THE Department of Foreign Affairs is not advising against travel to Cyprus, despite the violence in the UN controlled buffer zone at the weekend. It said it was advising tourists to take "due care and to take account of local advice" but did not believe that Irish tourists were in any danger.
The British Foreign Office was also not advising against travel, to Cyprus. In fact, its travel advice unit was more concerned about an outbreak of viral meningitis in Limassol than the possibility of further violence between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, although it is advising travellers to contact the bureau for further information before travelling.
According to Mr Ernie Mooney, spokesman for Travelsavers, Ireland's largest group of independent travel agents, his members had received no calls from prospective tourists in relation to the weekend's incidents.
Mr Brendan Moran, chief executive of the Irish Travel Agents' Association, also said he had no reports of anxieties among Irish holidaymakers travelling to Cyprus.
Most Irish tourists are destined for the resorts of Limassol, Ayia Napa and, to a lesser degree, Paphos. Limassol is in the south of the island and is about 80 km from the Turkish controlled north, the self proclaimed Turkish Federated State of Cyprus. Paphos is in the southwest, approximately 120 km from the Turkish zone. Ayia Napa is by far the closest to the Turkish north, with only 20 km separating it from the border.