On August 29, 2025, the town of Agia Napa hosted a small ceremony in its Town Hall. Deputy Mayor Antonis Christou welcomed Andrew Smith, an American who has been returning to Cyprus for more than forty years. After more than a hundred visits, Smith was named the city’s Tourism Ambassador.
For Smith, the answer was simple. Agia Napa had become his second home. He spoke of the beaches, the nightlife, and above all the people who welcomed him each time. Anyone who has family ties to Cyprus, or who has gone back to the same village summer after summer, knows exactly what he meant.
Smith is not the first to be welcomed this way. Agia Napa has made it a tradition to honor loyal visitors from across Europe, including the UK, Sweden, Germany, and Austria. Some have returned for decades, others for dozens of visits. The ceremonies may differ, but the message is always the same: in Cyprus, hospitality is not a passing gesture. It grows into a lifelong bond.
This tradition reflects something deeper in the country’s story. After 1974, when the island lost much of its tourism infrastructure, Cyprus rebuilt by leaning on its greatest strength: the way it welcomes people. Tourism came back, and places like Agia Napa became symbols of resilience. Today the town accounts for a large share of overnight stays, but what keeps people coming is not only the sea or the weather. It is the bonds they form over time.
For many Cypriots abroad, including those here in Philadelphia, this story feels familiar. Families return to the same towns year after year. Children grow up with memories of neighbors who still greet them by name, even if they only see them once a summer. These visits turn into traditions that outlast distance and time.
Deputy Mayor Christou put it simply at the ceremony. Smith, he said, is now “a living ambassador of Agia Napa all over the world and an active member of our family.”
By naming Andrew Smith a Tourism Ambassador, Agia Napa added his story to many others that share the same bond. Cyprus holds on to people. Some return for family, others for friendships, and some, like Smith, because the island itself has become part of their life.
The plaque may have been small, but the meaning was not. It was a reminder that Cyprus’s greatest gift is not its beaches or its nightlife, but the way it makes you feel at home.
Featured image: Andrew Smith honored as Tourism Ambassador of Agia Napa by Deputy Mayor Antonis Christou, August 2025.