The tourist season in the free Famagusta and Larnaca areas has started on a positive note, with tourist flows being significantly increased compared to last year and estimates for the summer months being promising.
The increase in flows compared to April 2022, is estimated at 15-20%, the hoteliers’ president Doros Takkas told Phileleftheros, noting that a significant boost for the region was the Catholic Easter.
“We had a noticeable increase during that period that lasted about a week. We were not helped much by the weather, however, we had people in the region from our traditional markets such as Britain and Scandinavia, as well as from other countries.”
Agia Napa and Protaras were also chosen by a number of Cypriot holidaymakers last weekend, however, they were not at the levels expected.
“The truth is that we expected to do better with Cypriots at Orthodox Easter, but it seems that too many people chose to travel abroad. However, it was not to the point of disappointment and given the circumstances we are satisfied.”
Tourist operators in the region are more optimistic than last year about the summer months, as it looks like they will be able to fill more of the gap created by the loss of the Russian market.
The most positive thing is that there is an increase from some unexpected markets due to connectivity. According to Takkas, in addition to the Polish and Romanian markets, which started to see an increase last year, this year, the region started to see an increase in tourists from both the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) and some Arab countries.