Cyprus summer pre-bookings have fallen more than 30% compared with the same period last year, hotel industry unions and associations warned Labour Minister Marinos Moushouttas at a meeting on Wednesday.
Current hotel occupancy is averaging around 40%, against figures that reached as high as 80% at the same point last year, according to PASYXE Director General Christos Angelides, who spoke to Phileleftheros. Angelides said the industry had already lost valuable time and was now targeting last-minute tourists rather than advance bookings.
The hoteliers pointed to three converging pressures. While cancellations have eased, the pace of summer bookings remains well below last year’s levels. Rising fuel costs have pushed up air fares, prompting travellers to choose sea, rail or road travel — options unavailable to those heading to Cyprus, which is accessible only by air. Airlines are also cutting routes: a report cited during the meeting referenced an upcoming meeting between French government ministers and airline representatives over concerns about kerosene shortages at French airports this summer, with low-cost carriers including Ryanair, Transavia and Volotea already cancelling some flights in the coming months, according to French media.
The hoteliers asked Moushouttas to extend the worker subsidy scheme to cover April and May, and called for a strategic plan to position Cyprus as a safe and attractive destination amid ongoing Middle East tensions. Moushouttas indicated he would refer the request to other ministers for consideration, after which a government decision would be taken, Angelides said.
Angelides said extending the subsidy scheme would bring stability to the market even if the funds were ultimately not used, adding that it was important to project an image of an industry operating normally and ready to receive visitors. He praised the government for securing the removal of negative travel advisories in several countries, and expressed hope the same would be achieved for the United Kingdom, which he described as Cyprus’s most important market.
The meeting came as Presidential Office Director Viktoras Papadopoulos told the Cabinet on Wednesday that a Strategic Plan to strengthen Cyprus’s international image had been presented for consideration. The government, working with Invest Cyprus, was pursuing a coordinated effort to project a modern and outward-looking image of the country abroad, he said. “The message to be promoted internationally can be tailored by sector, highlighting the priorities, policies and comparative advantages of the Republic of Cyprus,” Papadopoulos said.
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