An influx of tourists mainly from Great Britain, Poland and Austria and Scandinavian countries was registered in Cyprus during the Catholic Easter period, the Director General of the Pancypriot Hoteliers Association (PASYXE), Filokypros Rousounidis, told KYPE, adding that the hotel industry is already entering the period of the summer season.
At the same time, Mr. Rousounidis said that several Cypriots took advantage of the packages, which hoteliers and several hotel units published, reservations were also made in the beach resorts, Paphos Limassol and in the free area of Famagusta, while the mountainous areas will also have significant mobility.
"So I think that during the Easter week in particular we will see occupancies of 50% to 60%", he added.
The flow of tourists from abroad began
Regarding the influx of tourists due to the Catholic Easter last week, Mr. Rousounidis said that we saw the first tourists arriving on the island and staying in hotels on the beach fronts that are currently open.
As he said, this week the flow of tourists came mainly from Great Britain, Poland, Austria and Scandinavian countries "and I imagine that from the end of the month and from there the substantial descent will also begin from Israel, which is now our second tourist market ».
"I believe that by the end of April, the majority of hotel units and hotel accommodations will already be open, ready to welcome the first tourists, who, as I said, have already started to make their appearance on the island," noted the DG of PASYXE.
Regarding the prices, Mr. Rousounidis said that they are quite affordable, quite condescending, as "most entrepreneurs in the sector have decided to absorb the increased costs that exist at the moment (energy, interest rates and raw material costs, etc.) ) and they don't pass it on to the prices, because a lot of effort is being made to remain competitive".
"Unfortunately, I say, most of these costs will be absorbed, significantly reducing the profitability of a tourism business coming off a disastrous two years," he added.
However, Mr. Roudounidis said that despite these challenges, "a tourist year is expected, which will be better than last year so as to give some breathing space".
At 50% – 50% individual bookings and bookings from tour operators
In relation to the nature of the bookings, Mr. Rousounidis said that the trend of increased individual bookings, created especially after the pandemic of Covid-19, seems to be continuing and there is a balance between individual bookings and more bulk through tour operators.
"While in the past bookings through tour operators were 70% to 80%, and the rest in standalone bookings, the ratio has now gone to 50% - 50%, a mix which I consider very healthy," he concluded.
Source: KYPE