Summer hotel bookings in Cyprus remain weak, with cancellations continuing and no meaningful recovery in the rate of new reservations, the Director General of the Cyprus Hotels Association (PASYXE) told the Cyprus News Agency.
The persistent weakness in bookings is linked to the drone strike on RAF Akrotiri on 2 March, the first strike on European territory connected to the US-led war against Iran. The incident placed Cyprus in the international frame as a conflict-adjacent destination, an image the industry has been unable to shake off despite active marketing efforts.
Easter hotel occupancy averaged between 25% and 45% on a weighted basis, Christos Angelides said, describing the figures as slightly below normal for the period. He noted, however, that Easter is not a traditional period for Cypriots to stay in hotels, with most preferring to travel abroad or gather with family. Most hotels have already opened for the new season and all are expected to be open by 20 April.
On summer bookings, Angelides said the picture has not improved. “We are in the same situtation we were in five weeks ago. Some cancellations are continuing and the rate of bookings is not such as to reverse the picture for the better,” he said. He noted a small improvement in the level of cancellations but added that there is no significant movement in bookings. “The picture is slightly differentiated but without many signs of recovery,” he said, adding that this is not what would be expected after six weeks of conflict.
He said Cyprus remains trapped in the frame of the regional crisis despite not being directly involved. “Although we are not at the epicentre, because we entered the frame, we continue to remain in it. We have not managed to shake it off,” he said.
Hotels are continuing social media campaigns, working with advertisers and making sales trips abroad. Angelides called for Cyprus’s campaign as a safe and welcoming destination to be sustained and intensified throughout the year. “We hope bookings will increase to a degree that reverses the level of cancellations,” he said.
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