Cyprus Mail 13 April 2020 -by Andria Kades
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested on Sunday that people don’t book any summer holidays due to the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic a statement do not bode well for the Cyprus tourism industry.
In an interview with German newspaper Bild she said she “would advise waiting with such plans” and “no one can make reliable forecasts for July and August at the moment.”
Her comments come as some countries, including Spain, are taking steps to ease lockdown measures.
In Cyprus, the lockdown will remain in place until at least the end of April.
Hoteliers this week expressed concerns that hotels will have to stay closed through June.
Hotels, which would normally have seen business start to pick up with the Easter season, are now being used as quarantine facilities.
Much depends on how the situation unfolds in Cyprus, how countries with a big tourism market for the island such as the UK, Russia and Israel fare are important factors.
As early as mid March tour operators and travel agents said they were on the verge of collapse and would have to seek government support.
Paphos in particular is seeing the impact from the British market which it is most popular with. Observers have estimated a 70 per cent decline in tourist this year, with tourism revenue estimated to drop by around 73 per cent.
