Occupancy in hotels in the province of Famagusta is 85% - 95% for the months of July and August and the hoteliers expect, based on the bookings for the first two months of autumn, that they will reach the level of the previous year.
"For July and August the occupancy rates in the province's hotels are very good, while we seem to be at fairly high levels for September as well, equal to the previous year. We hope that with the reservations of the specific months we will reach the level of 2023, while if the flow of tourist reservations continues in October, which have already started to arrive, we will be very close to the corresponding period of the previous year", Panagiotis Constantinou, President of the Pan-Cypriot Association of Hoteliers (PASYXE) of Famagusta province, told KYPE.
He also expressed the hope that "If we manage to extend bookings into November, then the results will be even better."
Answering a related question, Mr. Konstantiou said that "occupancies in hotels during this time range around 85% - 95%. It is known that there is a difference in bookings this year compared to previous years, that is, the duration of the holidays of foreign visitors, especially the United Kingdom, is somewhat reduced.
Explain that "the main market of the province of Famagusta is the British market, however we notice that due to the economic crisis that the country is facing, tourists come for holidays, but their stay is shorter, i.e. instead of 9 they stay 7 days". This also "reflects the issue of arrivals, which show an increase, but there is a slight decrease in overnight stays", he said.
All this, go on, "combined with the leakage of tourists to the occupied areas of Cyprus and Airbnb, which seems to be holding up well, they contribute to having increased arrivals on the one hand, but overnight stays are not to the extent they should be. However, despite the negative, let's say, elements that exist in the tourism sector, we are satisfied with the occupancy rates of the hotels in the province of Famagusta".
Regarding the reservations for September, the President of PASYXE Famagusta said that “They are showing very good figures and bookings seem to be quite good, despite the fact that this year there is a strong phenomenon of last-minute holiday bookings. At the same time there is also October, which at this time last year had enough availability and finally it became possible to cover enough ground and it was also a good month".
Asked about the markets from which the province of Famagusta draws many thousands of tourists, Mr. Konstantinou answered that "First is Britain, followed by the Scandinavian countries, Israel, Central Europe, i.e. Germany, Austria and Switzerland and Poland, which is quite an important emerging market and every year there are increased bookings. We still have visitors from Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia", he said.
The President of PASYXE Famagusta also expressed the hope that "we will close the tourism year with a positive sign. But what will judge the whole scene with the fullness is October, which from what it seems, in case there is no unforeseen event, is on the right track and we will be very close to the desired numbers of last year".
Source: KYPE