Filenews 1 December 2023 - by Dora Christodoulou
Almost half of Paphos' hotels remain in operation during this winter season, while in the rest of Cyprus the figure is only a third. Occupancy during this period is, however, low, not exceeding 40% of their occupancy, while some increase is expected during the festive season.
PASYXE President Thanos Michaelides said that out of a total of 253 hotels across Cyprus that are members of the Association, 89 are currently open. Most of them, he stressed, are in operation in the Paphos district and in particular out of 59 hotels 25 are open today.
The traffic in the hotel industry, Thanos Michaelides said, comes primarily from the UK, while a smaller flow of visitors is observed from Poland and Germany.
In addition to the limited tourist flow, the president of the hoteliers noted, the units are negatively affected during this period by the significantly increased operating costs. The combination of these data, Mr. Michaelides said, makes it extremely difficult for hotels to remain open and those hoteliers who decide to operate, do so by investing in year-round operation.
The 2024 summer season, Thanos Michaelides concluded, will start in early April, but the fact that Catholic Easter is at the end of March this year is not helpful for Cyprus' tourism.
