"Cyprus is very pleasant: safe, quiet, full of history. It still keeps local flavor despite modern development. Archaeological sites are well preserved, traditional wine and food are available, medieval architecture and many 19th-century houses have been restored. Good museums in Nicosia but in the old center too many houses are ruined and deserted. Traditional crafts are in danger. In local workshops, you see only old people."
"Large tourism ghettos in ribbon developments along most of the coastline offer typical package-tourist environments. Early developments of 1970s and '80s show worst excesses of concrete-block style. More recent resorts reflect local architectural styles (low-rise whitewashed dwellings), but second home development adds pressure. Away from tourist areas, towns and villages are Greek communities with indigenous Venetian, Turkish, Roman, and Greek architecture."
"Overdeveloped! Its popularity as a second home destination for northern Europeans has significantly impacted cultural continuity on the island. Even local crafts have been reduced to cheap souvenirs."
"Cyprus has a poor sustainability record with its drive, until recently, on the mass middle/lower market. The onset of budget airline arrivals from the U.K. has not helped. Aphrodite Hills, however, has shown another approach more in keeping with local sense of place."
Cyprus, Turkish side
Score: 65
"Northern Cyprus is expanding its tourism economy very fast, and may inherit problems relating to carrying capacity that have started to plague its southern neighbor. Spectacular architectural and heritage sites."
"Landscape splendid, mountains and beaches. Population now almost entirely Turkish Cypriot and from Turkish mainland, all Muslim."
"Unprecedented scale of villa development by overseas investors in a style which does not reflect the local tradition."
"Still relatively unspoiled. Socially and culturally very different from the Greek side. Local people trying to make a fast buck need to be more sensitive to the tourist."
