Ayia Napa officially romanised Agia Napa, is a tourist resort at the far eastern end of the southern coast of Cyprus. The word "Ayia" means "holy" in Greek. "Napa" is archaic and means "wooded valley" or "dell". It is stated in various sources that, in ancient times, the area surrounding the town was covered with thick forest. The name Ayia Napa is derived from a Venetian-era monastery of the same name, located in the center of the town. Today the old and the new coexist, as the emblematic monastery stands at the heart of a busy and vivid entertainment location that attracts tourists from all over the world.
Ayia Napa is the largest tourist resort in Cyprus, with a 27,000-person-bed capacity and more than 175 hotels and apartments of all sizes. In 2017, the resort received over 700,000 tourists and accommodated 5 million overnight stays, representing approximately 30% of all Cyprus overnight stays. The resort, which lies near Cape Greco known for its breathtaking caves, has twenty-seven beaches, of which fourteen have been awarded the blue flag award, more than any other resort in Cyprus. Other important sites are the Ayia Napa Sculpture Park, the Tornaritis-Pierides Museum of Marine Life and the Thalassa Agia Napa Municipal Museum.
The City was recognized as a Prime City Destination by the Oxford Business Assembly and was awarded in 2018 the International flag of investment and innovation attractiveness 'Flag of Europe" and the International Certificate of Excellence in Investment and Innovation (ICEII).