The Executive Director of the Paphos ETAP, Nassos Hadjigeorgiou, described the resumption of the tourism industry as possible at a slow pace in late March-early April, initially with domestic tourism and then possibly with visitors from Israel. In his statements, Mr. Hatzigeorgiou stated that still “we can not predict with validity what will happen next”, adding that “we are anxiously awaiting and watching the developments, both within the country and worldwide”.
He pointed out, however, that there are still many pieces left from the “puzzle” of the restart of the tourism industry. He cited as an example the epidemiological picture of the source countries of tourism, the epidemiological picture of Cyprus, the levels of vaccination and immunization of the population, both inside and outside Cyprus, and the final flight programs of airlines and tour operators. He mentioned, among other things, the reopening dates of the destination for hotels, restaurants, activities and the reopening protocols of the destination.
Answering a relevant question, Mr. Hatzigeorgiou stated that the field is slowly clearing up, noting that on the one hand we are expecting this week the decisions of the state for gradual de-escalation of measures against the pandemic and may allow the relocation of permanent residents of Cyprus for home.
On the other hand, he continued, the registration that we have in progress with the hoteliers of the province shows that a small percentage of units are expected to operate in the last week of March, most intend to reopen in the first week of April, while most units around the first week of May 2021 .
He also pointed out that yesterday the English market clarified a bit, where according to the decisions of the British Government no visitors are expected before May 17 “but we will definitely see mobility in the reservations for the months of June and after”.
In addition, he noted that uncertainty in the forecasts causes the possibility of sanctions from the European Union to Russia, which, as he said, could make the situation even more difficult.
A similar uncertainty, he added, is present for the German market, as for other European countries.
Although, he said, the landscape is slowly clearing up, there are still several unbalanced factors.
Nevertheless, he estimated that the tourism industry in Cyprus can restart at a slow pace, if the epidemiological picture of the country allows it, at the end of March-beginning of April, initially with domestic tourism and then maybe with visitors from Israel, depending and data and categorization from various other countries which may be added at regular intervals.
“There is a need for everyone around the world to restart the tourism industry. “Both from the states, from potential travelers, as well as from the airlines, travel organizers, the hotel and food industry and all those who are directly or indirectly related to the tourism industry”, he concluded.
Philenews / ΚΥΠΕ
