A tourist season filled with challenges, primarily due to the Israel-Gaza war, is expected for the free area of Famagusta this year, with its stakeholders engaged in a struggle to fill the gaps.
Already, the first hotels in Ayia Napa and Protaras have begun rolling up their shutters, and by early April, almost all will have opened.
Reservations for March and April, as expected, are at low levels, stated Panagiotis Constantinou, President of PASIXE Famagusta, who noted that, given the circumstances, overall, they are moving at satisfactory levels for the remaining months.
“Reservations are slightly behind compared to last year. The information we have is that some hotels are lagging behind a bit. It depends, of course, on which markets they cater to, whether they had large percentages of Russians or Israelis. However, for those dealing with traditional markets, such as the English, Scandinavian, or those of central Europe, things are somewhat better.”
The region has struggled over the past two years to cover part of the loss from the Russian market and is now called upon to limit the tremors from a potential blow from the Israeli market, which was the second most dynamic last year.
“The blows are continuous. The issue is nationwide; however, for our province, it is even more intense. Nevertheless, we want to remain optimistic. If the war ends, I believe we will have enough bookings from Israelis who will want to escape, and Cyprus is a good destination for them.”
Despite prevailing gloom, there are markets, according to Constantinou, showing very good signs and increasing trends compared to last year, such as the Scandinavian countries, Poland, and Germany. “The British market, which is the largest in our region, is close to the same levels as last year. There is a stagnation; they do not have additional bookings to cover the shortfalls because they are also going through a crisis due to the aftermath of Brexit.”
Meanwhile, hoteliers in the area continue to sound the alarm regarding the perennial problem of labor shortages. “We are pressing hard on this issue, which is the biggest problem concerning hotel operation. Several efforts are being made, and the Minister of Labor is negotiating trying to find the golden mean.
However, there have been no significant changes. There has been some improvement regarding applications from third countries, but it takes someone 4-5 months to secure an employee. This is very difficult, especially for us who work on a seasonal basis. It is an additional problem for us that we do not have a Labor Office to process applications, and we have to go to Larnaca,” Constantinou concluded.