NEW BELL FOR TOURISM - CANCELLATIONS FOR MAY AS WELL - Filenews 25/3 by Angelos Angelodimou
Having rung a second – even more worrying – bell, the bodies responsible for tourism are now called upon to move at light speeds to prevent the worst. Information from "F" states that after the cancellations of bookings for the period March - April, cancellations are now recorded for May as well, at the same time that bookings for the summer are moving at an alarmingly sluggish pace, especially if we take into account the time period in which we find ourselves.
Lightning-fast movements
Based on the above data, those involved with the industry should move quickly, in order to immediately send the right messages about the real situation in Cyprus. Speed in this case is of enormous importance, as the messages will have to be sent to many recipients in order to have the desired result at the end of the day. Among others, tour operators, airlines, tour operators, political leaders, should be properly informed about tourism Cyprus. As industry professionals have characteristically told us, within the next two months, a mechanism will have to be set up, which will start from the President of the Republic himself and will include the competent ministries, the Embassies, Hermes, the hoteliers and in general all those involved, who will have to "parade" as we were characteristically told in all decision centers. Indicatively, we were told that the effort should reach up to the provinces and the competent ETAP, which must undertake their own part, in the effort to inform.
It is recalled that in his statements on state radio the day before yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Costas Koumis, pointed out that at the moment, emphasis is being placed on changing the image of Cyprus, through targeted moves. Among other things, the cooperation with a public relations firm continues, contacts with strategic partners have been intensified, inside and outside Cyprus, while at the same time there is continuous monitoring of market data. As Mr. Koumis mentioned, contacts are now taking place on a more regular basis, with the aim of better understanding the situation and identifying ways to react. At the same time, he noted that the development will largely depend on the duration and intensity of the crisis in the Middle East.
Strengthening the internal market
Regarding possible support measures, the Deputy Minister of Tourism confirmed that the strengthening of the internal market is also being considered, in order to give incentives to Cypriots to choose local accommodation. However, he clarified that no announcements can be made at this stage, as the relevant decisions are still being processed. "A very specific framework is being examined," he said, noting that analyses should be preceded before any decision is made.
A key point of the efforts is not to lose the European markets, which make up the vast majority of our tourists. This effort is not expected to be easy, as according to Mr. Koumis, there is currently a negative climate among travellers. "The current scenario is substantially different from that of 2022 – 2023, when Cyprus had to manage mainly the loss of the Russian and Ukrainian markets. At that time, a gap was created that had to be filled through the strengthening of existing partnerships, the opening of new markets and the improvement of air connectivity. Today, however, in addition to the loss of specific markets, there is a second, more difficult factor to manage. We have to manage the emotion of millions of Europeans, as a negative climate has formed around the region, which affects the decisions of travellers." Mr. Koumis confirmed that at the moment the market of Israel has been lost, as well as markets of the Arabian Peninsula. The biggest issue, as he said, is the wider attitude of European visitors, who are also the main source of tourism for Cyprus.
In relation to the Israeli market, a few days ago it was announced that the Israeli travel company ISSTA is proceeding with the creation of an "air bridge" between Jordan and Cyprus, due to the emergency restrictions on the flight schedule. Specifically, there will be daily flights from Aqaba Airport in Jordan to Paphos, during the days of Jewish Passover - i.e. the period from March 30 to April 8, with the aim of meeting the increased demand for short holidays abroad, at a time when the availability of flights from Israel remains limited.
Ticket increases
At the same time, the CEO of easyJet, Kenton Jarvis, referred to ticket prices, expressing the assessment that towards the end of the summer we should expect increases in air ticket prices, i.e. when the existing hedging contracts for fuel expire.
