A publication by the British tabloid newspaper Daily Express, which refers to a decrease in tourist bookings in Cyprus from May onwards, is out of date and does not correspond to the current picture, the General Director of PASYXE, Filokypros Rousounidis, who, like the DG of STEK, Chrysaimilis Psilogeni, noted the difference between arrivals and bookings.
In a sensationalist style, the publication talks about "panic" in the tourist industry on the island due to the "huge drop" in bookings, while there is also talk of a "crisis" that will cost the sector 30 million pounds.
"And the title is a bit far-fetched, but the article is outdated," said Mr. Rousounidis to KYPE, noting that the article refers to data that we had in front of us a few months ago. "Some data have changed, additional flights have been added," he said.
He noted that tourist arrivals are at last year's levels, which gives, as he said, moderate optimism, that the year may be close to last year.
"It's evidence of the resilience of the industry, because in the midst of all these challenges and geopolitical turmoil, when we manage to be close to the same numbers as last year, that in itself demonstrates the resilience of the sector and tells us that we need to invest and to strengthen the sector".
He said, however, that occupancies and overnight stays do not one-to-one reflect tourist arrivals, as he said there is a large leakage into short-term rental accommodation and occupied properties.
Asked if, despite the leaks he referred to, bookings are at the same level as last year, he said it appears that by photographing the day, bookings are close to last year's levels, noting, however, that “all of this can change drastically from a negative development in the surrounding area".
He also added that there is a difference in the length of stay of tourists on the island, but also in the per capita expenditure, which is a little reduced, also due to the economic recession experienced by specific markets from which we draw tourist inflow.
Answering whether the €30 million loss of revenue in the tourism industry is true, he said that this report is also dated, as it concerned the bankruptcy of Germany's second largest tour operator, which was a given at the time, but since then 2- 3 months.
Asked whether this collapse ultimately affected the Cypriot tourism sector, he said that it certainly affected and is affecting the outlook, as Germany is a country with a large tourist market, "from which we would like to draw a lot of people and we are drawing, time with the more time" and certainly the perspective is not the same when a big player, like FTI, leaves the game". However, he noted, the footprint, as time has shown, can be limited.
For her part, the DG of STEK, Chrysaimilis Psilogeni, told KYPE that since the beginning of the year there had been a decrease in bookings compared to last year mainly due to the challenges faced by tourism in Cyprus but also worldwide. "The arrivals at the airports may be higher today compared to last year, but STEK has made it clear many times that one thing is arrivals and another is occupancy and income to the coffers of the country", he noted.
He added that STEK recently presented documented evidence that the average length of stay of tourists in our country is gradually decreasing, as is the per capita expenditure. "We should strengthen our efforts either to increase tourist flows from specific markets, or mainly to attract better quality tourism", he said.
From the analyzes carried out by STEK, Mrs. Psilogeni pointed out, "it appears clearly that taking into account the course of inflation, the revenues from tourism in recent years show losses of billions".
The Daily Express publication cites statements by the President of PASYXE, Thanos Michaelidis, regarding the reduction of reservations and the need to extend the tourist season with hotels operating throughout the year.
At the same time, a statement by the Cypriot Deputy Minister of Tourism last May regarding the prediction of the achievement of goals for the year based on the data for the first four months is noted.
The Express report comes after a series of publications by the same newspaper and other British publications about "warnings" to British tourists who want to take holidays in the Mediterranean because of the prolonged heatwave, fires, local backlash against overtourism, and even outbreak of a new variant of the coronavirus.
Source: KYPE