Filenews 21 July 2022
The Director of the Paphos Tourism Development and Promotion Company, Nasos Hadjigeorgiou, expresses his satisfaction with the traffic in the District of Paphos, adding that under the circumstances they are quite pleased since the goal to further fill the gap in arrivals, compared to 2019, is on track.
Since the beginning of the year and based on the planning of tour operators and airlines, the estimate is that it is feasible to reach 75-80% of the results of 2019 in matters of international arrivals, Mr. Hatigeorgiou told CNA. Efforts are peaking by October and the goal remains until the end of 2022, he added.
As for domestic tourism, despite continuous and intensive efforts this year the results are not as expected, he said. He also said that the lockdown of the last two years has pushed several permanent residents of Cyprus to travel outside Cyprus this year, with Greece and Italy having their honour.
At the same time, the high cost of fuel and generally the increase in the cost of living in households began to negatively affect travel inside or outside Cyprus, he said.
He also pointed out that the industry is suffering from chronic problems as well as issues that arose due to the pandemic. Chronic problems include the almost one-dimensional development and standardization of the product, the aging of hotel and urban infrastructure, the stress of the natural environment and the tendency to alter our cultural identity, he noted. Also, he continued, the abandonment and decline of the countryside and consequently the deprivation of experiences and resources coming from the primary sector.
Also, the high operating costs but also the high cost of the initial investment compared to competing destinations, the seasonality as well as the inability to implement the necessary infrastructure projects in a timely manner, negatively affect, he said.
Mr. Hadjigeorgiou also noted this year's complete absence of the Russian market, the lack of staff in hotel and tourism businesses and the problems of passenger service around the world.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of staff, the services provided are not as expected and this, he noted, worries them because it can set a bad precedent in the tourist experience.
At the same time, as we struggle to fill the gaps from the Russian market "we have together with our partners invested in the digital campaign in various countries and in other means of promotion with quite good results", adding that they emphasize on markets that can give future and stability to Paphos as well as all-year traffic.
He also said that the top five priority markets include the markets of the UK, Germany, Poland, France, Israel.
Mr. Hadjigeorgiou also said that one of the most serious problems of the year and perhaps a significant deterrent to traveling is the inconvenience suffered by passengers at airports. The problem starts with the lack of staff in airlines and ground handling providers with the parallel increase in flights, he said.
He added that the problem in Cyprus is fortunately much smaller compared to other countries, where at several airports there are unprecedented queues, both at check-ins and in the check-in of passengers, resulting in either cancelled flights or their departure time being delayed.
However, the situation is not expected to improve in the coming months as demand in July and August is elevated, he said. The solution of the problem, he personally estimated, can be achieved by adjusting the working conditions / payrolls in these positions.
The positives this year include Ryanair flights from France, Germany, Poland, Austria, the arrival of Aegean in Paphos and the execution of charter flights from the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, he said. He pointed out, however, that there are still some gaps in the connection with various countries such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Lebanon, Egypt, Armenia which "we are trying to fill".
