The messages for tourism in the upcoming summer season are encouraging, Panagiotis Constantinou, President of the Famagusta District Hoteliers Association, told CNA, adding that there is a good flow of bookings from all markets, especially those that prefer the specific region.
He added that "the period after Christmas is very difficult for tourism in the Famagusta district. However, the messages we are receiving about the start of the new summer season, which is estimated to be in early April, are good, since most hotels in the area will begin operating."
It seems, he continued, "that the messages are quite good and encouraging at the moment, since there is a good flow of bookings from all markets especially from the main markets that prefer the Famagusta district, namely the United Kingdom, Poland, Israel, the Scandinavian countries and the countries of Central Europe. It seems that we will start the new season on the right foot and we are looking forward to a very good season," he noted.
As Mr. Constantinou said, "we are optimistic and hope that there will be no unforeseen events in the coming months, due to the situation prevailing in the Middle East with Iran."
Asked about the tourism exhibitions that will be held in Belgrade and Berlin, Mr. Konstantinou replied that their Association will attend both exhibitions. Specifically, between February 19 and 22, the tourism exhibition will be held in Belgrade, Serbia, where a delegation from the Association and the Famagusta Tourism Development and Promotion Company (ETAP) and hoteliers will participate.
He also mentioned that "at the tourism exhibition that will take place between March 3-5 in Berlin, the well-known ITB, our participation will be more massive, since most of the hoteliers in the region will attend. The Famagusta Tourism Board, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, the two Municipalities of the province, namely Paralimni - Deryneia and Ayia Napa, the Bank of Cyprus and Hermes Airports, will also attend this particular exhibition," he said.
Asked whether the Famagusta Hoteliers Association will proceed with a campaign to attract tourists from other markets, the President of the Association replied that "we are now heading into the third year of a very important promotion campaign, which is online and targeted at specific markets. These markets are divided into major and minor ones," he said and noted that "the major markets we are targeting include, among others, the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Switzerland and France."
He also mentioned that the results of the Association's specific targeted campaign over the last two years have been very encouraging and "that is why we will continue this effort to promote the province this year as well."
Asked whether the Association's plans include a campaign to attract tourism from Middle Eastern countries, Mr. Constantinou said that "we are always interested in these specific markets because they are located in close proximity to Cyprus and have prospects. However, due to the current situation with Iran, it is very difficult to say how a program to attract tourists from these specific countries can be promoted," he added, noting that "for now we are a little cautious on this issue."
Asked about the hotels that operated during the winter months, Mr. Constantinou replied that "despite the fact that these hotel units are few, they nevertheless operate normally, with all that this entails. Room reservations were made online, while reservations were also made by certain tour operators who are promoting small holiday packages during this period."
Regarding the issue of extending the tourist season, he said that "we had good results for the period 2025-2026 since, in addition to October, a fairly good month in terms of reservations, November was also a good month, since more hotel units remained in operation. This fact was helped by the reservations made for November, as well as the very good weather conditions that existed in Cyprus."
We, concluded the President of the Famagusta Hoteliers Association, "are trying to strengthen, for the most part, in November and March and then target the remaining winter months, namely December, January and February."
Source: KYPE
