According to the president of the Pancypriot Association of Hoteliers (PASYXE), Thanos Michaelidis, the occupancy rates ranged from 80%-85% in August, estimating that so far the summer has been moving at satisfactory levels with a slight decrease from last year in reservations.
The 2024 season will close a little lower than last year, Mr. Michaelidis said.
In his statements to KYPE, he said that until August 31, the reservations at the Republic's hotels are on average a little behind last year. It was, he said, “a quite difficult summer to date because there were various ups and downs”, adding that “we are quite affected by the developments in the Middle East, not only in terms of affecting bookings from Israel but also cancellations and comparatively reduced demand from other countries that considered that Cyprus is very close to Israel”.
For some, Mr. Michaelidis added, this was an inhibiting factor in booking holidays in Cyprus.
Regarding the markets that moved in the Republic the president of PASYXE mentioned that they were the markets of Britain, Israel, Poland, France and Germany and in general the classical markets.
Asked what are the biggest problems that hoteliers have been asked to face and are facing this year's summer season, which ends at the end of October and the beginning of November, Mr. Michaelidis said that there are several fronts.
The big problem, he continued, is maintaining the flow of bookings that were not ongoing nor had the dynamics they would have liked.
He estimated that the constant geopolitical changes that overturn the demand very suddenly, is a difficulty, because, as he explained, it is difficult to plan as a hotel and as a result they make the operation of the hotel unit difficult.
The other problems we have and which are stable despite their relative improvement is, said Mr. Michaelidis, finding a workforce which is a difficult issue not only for Cyprus but also in other countries facing similar problems.
We also see, he continued, that “the world spends comparatively less, so the income is not at the level we want because the global economy is not in the best phase, with the result that this affects the way the tourist spends”, because, as he explained, “they have to we also measure revenue and occupancy”.
Mr. Michaelidis emphasized that the goal in itself is not only to fill the hotels, but also at what prices the tourists who come to the hotels are filled and by extension in Cyprus what is what he leaves behind, i.e. whether he spends or not.
He mentioned that this year there was a more moderate trend among tourists, with the result that hotel revenues are also more moderate.
