Although hotels have received the "green light" to open since June 1, so far few have chosen to do so. Just two in the province of Famagusta and four in the province of Paphos, are open to two of the largest tourist areas in Cyprus.
At least until mid-July, the shutters will remain lowered in hotels in coastal areas, as bookings for June are zero. With very low fees, the operation of the units becomes unprofitable, especially for hotels based on foreign tourism. Most hoteliers are oriented to operate their businesses in July, when the big tour operators start their programs. At the same time, thousands of seasonal workers will be big hawks.
Speaking to "F", the president of PASYXE Famagusta, Doros Takkas, stated that the situation in the free area of Famagusta is stagnant. There is no light on the horizon for the operation of more hotel units in the near future. He estimated that one in two tourist accommodations will open around mid-July. "Even these estimates are frightening because we still have to see some flow of tourist bookings so that we can say as hoteliers that we will open our units," commented Mr. Takkas. He noted that at the moment only two hotels are open in Protaras and Ayia Napa and some tourist apartments. "There is no intention of other hoteliers to open in the near future. However, each hotelier will make his own decisions and put his data on the scales ", he commented. According to Takka, the decisive factor will be the markets of Britain and Russia. "If they open in July, then maybe more than half of the hotels will decide to open," he said.
For his part, the president of PASYXE Paphos, Thanos Michailidis, told "F" that four hotel units are in operation in the province, while there is the intention to operate another 14 by the end of June. "From there on, it is up to each hotelier to decide how and when to operate each unit. I estimate that around mid-July most hotels will open. There is an intention to open half of the hotels, however, we expect to see the flow of tourists who will come from the airports ", he pointed out. Mr. Michailidis said that the plans announced by the government provide hoteliers with a good incentive for the units to operate and the flexibility to work based on their fullness. "This means that a hotelier who was not sure if it would open will think more positively about opening it. However, at the end of the day, the most important thing for us is the tourist flow. As soon as there is traffic, most hotels will see their operation more positively ", he concluded.
Source: Philenews