Filenews 8 November 2022
England and the Scandinavian countries "saved" the tourist year in the Famagusta district, estimates the Pancyprian Association of Famagusta Hoteliers (PASYXE. Famagusta). In a meeting held on November 4, the Association reviewed the current tourist season, which is soon coming to an end, while the prospect of tourism for 2023 was also analyzed.
In an announcement, PASYXE. Famagusta says that "this year went more smoothly and satisfactorily than initially expected. This is because the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions that followed and were imposed on Russia, had as a negative impact the non-arrival of 600,000 tourists in the region."
The gap, he continues, was and remains huge and "we realize that it was extremely difficult to fill both for 2022 and for the years to come". It is obvious that "the Famagusta district was hit harder than the other provinces due to its dependence on the Russian market", says PASYXE. Famagusta.
Our effort this year, "focused on the other markets with the aim of increasing to the maximum extent possible and reducing losses. We have also seen new markets develop, and we are very pleased about that. This goal was achieved in part and in connection with the fact that a number of hotels remained closed and others hosted Ukrainian refugees, the supply of rooms was reduced and the rest of the hotels were satisfactorily full."
It is stated that "in addition to the aforementioned problem, we were called upon to deal with the big problem of the inflation of both electricity and consumable products as well as food and beverages. The lack of staff has also had its own negativity. Nevertheless, together with the diligent efforts of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and especially the Deputy Minister Savvas Perdios himself, we managed to reduce the problem by increasing the rest of the tourist markets. The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works also played an important role in this effort, especially in increasing flights from these markets. England, the Scandinavian countries and the central European countries have helped us a lot this year."
Regarding the tourist traffic in the free province of Famagusta, PASYXE Famagusta says that "it is too early to have a clear picture for 2023, but the indications show that, despite the uncertainty that prevails at a pan-European level due to the ongoing war, except for the unexpected, we should expect a year very close to this year. The inflatiom we experience in both aircraft fuel, electricity and other products pushes prices up and so travel is expected to be negatively affected."
Despite the above negatives, says PASYXE Famagusta, he emphasizes that "we are not disappointed and the effort to fill the gap from the Russian market continues in all directions. The first signs are positive."
In conclusion, PASYXE Famagusta emphasizes that "we have been faced with a negative cocktail of developments in recent years, but we are sure that tourism will very soon recover and will continue to play its very important role both in Cyprus and worldwide. Besides, it has shown that it has a strong foundation and endures much more than almost all the other Industries of our country".
CNA
