A sharp increase in bookings to Cyprus was predicted by Sean Tipton, a spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), as soon as London confirms the date when international leisure travel will be allowed again.
Speaking to KYPE, he said that Cyprus is "extremely connected" with Britain as a tourist destination. "The most important thing is that we see British visitors constantly returning to Cyprus. "They are all waiting," said Mr Tipton.
Asked about the current levels of bookings to Cyprus, he noted: "Bookings are well below a normal year, of course. It is not bad compared to other countries, but for the data of Cyprus they are still low. But I am 100% sure that when we are told that we can start traveling, there will be a sharp increase. "
According to Mr Tipton, "it is important that the country came out and said it would be ready to welcome the vaccinated Britons without hindrance." He explains that "people pay attention to such statements. Those who make the reservations so far are mainly over 50 years old, who know that they will have made the second installment by the time they travel ".
The "strong demand" for Cyprus was confirmed by Jet2, with a company representative stating in KYPE that "after the announcements by the Minister of Tourism in Cyprus for the reception of visitors from Britain who will have been vaccinated, there has been a huge increase in bookings and it has become clear that British tourists are looking forward to enjoying the holidays they deserve in Cyprus this summer. "
The company spokesman noted that announcements by Undersecretary of Tourism Savva Perdio added a 200% to the already increased bookings following Johnson's statements about a possible tourism opening on May 17th.
He noted that the data from the bookings show a "significant increase" in the bookings of family vacation packages in Cyprus from Britain.
Reservations to Cyprus are also increased for both the summer of 2022 and the autumn-winter 2021-2022, with Jet2 having added flights to Paphos in October, due to increased demand.
It is noted that the earliest possible date for the resumption of international leisure travel set by the British government is May 17, with the final decisions to be announced on April 12.
Mr. Tipton commented that he thinks that May 17 may be an optimistic scenario. Uncertainty about the achievement of this goal was expressed in a statement to KYPE by the President of the Association of Independent Tour Operators UK and director of the tourist office Sunvil Holidays Noel Iosifidis.
He estimated that after the dramatic increase in bookings in recent weeks by the British, there may be a slight decline until the decisions on international travel from the UK are finalized.
Numerous sources say that Britons planning a holiday abroad this year choose to book travel mainly from July onwards, with this trend attributed to concerns about the relatively slow progress of vaccinations in Europe and recent outbreaks.
This is confirmed by the offers of companies, such as Tui, to their customers to transfer free of charge for later summer reservations made in May and June last year.
Tui, Britain's largest tour operator, said most new bookings were from July onwards.
An ABTA spokesman confirmed the trend. "Many Britons were 'burned out' last year of arranging a holiday and canceled because government recommendations were changing. So they want to make sure they get there before booking. Travel from May onwards is possible, but I do not think many will look that month. Instead, we see more than usual bookings for September or October. Here Cyprus has an additional advantage, as the climate allows for a more extensive tourist season, possibly until November. "So the British, who want to be more confident that they will be on holiday this year, can take advantage of that."
