The new tourist season begins with stress for the hoteliers as the occupancy rates of hotels in the province of Famagusta in April and May were lower than in 2023 compared to last year. In April occupancy reached 50-60% while May is expected to hover around 60-70%.
According to the President of PASYXE Famagusta, Panagiotis Constantinou, the hotels in Famagusta District have gradually opened in March and April.
Speaking to FamagustaNews, Mr. Constantinou said that in April occupancy showed a decrease compared to last year due to the fact that the Catholic Easter was in March and with a long time difference from the Orthodox Easter.
Mr. Konstantinou explained that the geopolitical tension that exists in the wider region has affected the reservations with the loss of the Israelis continuing to exist. The flow of bookings is reduced due to the economic crisis that has broken out in the United Kingdom as well as because there are flight reductions at Larnaca airport.
Worry about how the season is going
Hoteliers express concern about how the new summer season will develop. However, there is moderate optimism for the summer months of June, July and August.
As regards finding personnel from third countries, Mr. Constantinou stated that the problem remains acute and intense. As for the checks on hotels for undeclared work, he said that there was no serious incident in Famagusta Province. "Of course checks should be done, but they should be done in a way that does not affect the operation of the properties because we give a bad impression to tourists."
