Having now entered May and given that today bookings for the summer are reduced by 30%, compared to the corresponding period last year, the hourglass seems to be emptying dangerously. Fears that the situation may now be irreversible are in danger of being confirmed, as estimates for the next period are not optimistic.
Speaking to "F", the General Director of PASYXE, Christos Angelides, explained that based on today's data, the average occupancy of hotels for the summer ranges from 40-50%. Last year, in the same period, the corresponding percentage was 75%, he added. However, the forecasts for the next period are not particularly optimistic and in case there is no immediate and large-scale mobilization, the situation will be difficult to reverse.
"We have lost March and April, while we are heading full speed to lose half of May. No matter how many we bring in the remaining months, it will be difficult to cover the damage," said Mr. Angelidis. In fact, when asked whether the data available to hoteliers show a new decrease in arrivals in April, following the reduction in March, the General Manager of PASYXE pointed out that, even if the reduction in the coming months is smaller in percentages, the damage will be much greater. Because, as he explained, the 20% decrease in May, in real numbers, is much greater than the 30% decrease in March.
Mr. Angelidis once again rang the bell to the authorities, reminding that tourism is one of the largest industries in the country, from which a number of other sectors, such as catering and retail, are also affected. "Any damage to tourism will mean damage to other sectors of the economy as well. Many thousands of families live from tourism, thousands of professionals and we must protect jobs," he said.
Factors of concern
Regarding the parameters that do not leave much room for optimism for the future, Mr. Angelidis listed the following:
(1) The rate of new bookings for the summer remains sluggish, despite the decrease in cancellations.
(2) The target is now focused on last-minute travellers. However, for this part of the tourists there is a lot of competition with countries much cheaper than us, such as Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.
(3) Airlines, due to the increase in the price of fuel, prefer to fly to nearby destinations in order to save resources, a policy that does not benefit our country, but benefits countries such as Spain and Portugal. According to Mr. Angelides, airlines have already cancelled flights to Cyprus or continue to operate flights with smaller capacity aircraft.
(4) A large number of travellers, especially those belonging to the middle income class, seem to be struggling financially at this time, due to the increase in fuel, which is known to be passed on to other products. As a result, they think about travelling to nearby destinations, by train or by car.
Concluding, Mr. Angelidis referred to their request to the Ministry of Labour to continue the plan to subsidize the employment of employees in the hotel industry in the months of May and June. As he said, after the meeting with Minister Marinos Mousiouttas, who had seen the specific request with understanding, consultations are underway at the service level and they are waiting to see whether a relevant proposal will be formed.
Speaking to "F", the General Director of PASYXE, Christos Angelides, explained that based on today's data, the average occupancy of hotels for the summer ranges from 40-50%. Last year, in the same period, the corresponding percentage was 75%, he added. However, the forecasts for the next period are not particularly optimistic and in case there is no immediate and large-scale mobilization, the situation will be difficult to reverse.
"We have lost March and April, while we are heading full speed to lose half of May. No matter how many we bring in the remaining months, it will be difficult to cover the damage," said Mr. Angelidis. In fact, when asked whether the data available to hoteliers show a new decrease in arrivals in April, following the reduction in March, the General Manager of PASYXE pointed out that, even if the reduction in the coming months is smaller in percentages, the damage will be much greater. Because, as he explained, the 20% decrease in May, in real numbers, is much greater than the 30% decrease in March.
Mr. Angelidis once again rang the bell to the authorities, reminding that tourism is one of the largest industries in the country, from which a number of other sectors, such as catering and retail, are also affected. "Any damage to tourism will mean damage to other sectors of the economy as well. Many thousands of families live from tourism, thousands of professionals and we must protect jobs," he said.
Factors of concern
Regarding the parameters that do not leave much room for optimism for the future, Mr. Angelidis listed the following:
(1) The rate of new bookings for the summer remains sluggish, despite the decrease in cancellations.
(2) The target is now focused on last-minute travellers. However, for this part of the tourists there is a lot of competition with countries much cheaper than us, such as Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.
(3) Airlines, due to the increase in the price of fuel, prefer to fly to nearby destinations in order to save resources, a policy that does not benefit our country, but benefits countries such as Spain and Portugal. According to Mr. Angelides, airlines have already cancelled flights to Cyprus or continue to operate flights with smaller capacity aircraft.
(4) A large number of travellers, especially those belonging to the middle income class, seem to be struggling financially at this time, due to the increase in fuel, which is known to be passed on to other products. As a result, they think about travelling to nearby destinations, by train or by car.
Concluding, Mr. Angelidis referred to their request to the Ministry of Labour to continue the plan to subsidize the employment of employees in the hotel industry in the months of May and June. As he said, after the meeting with Minister Marinos Mousiouttas, who had seen the specific request with understanding, consultations are underway at the service level and they are waiting to see whether a relevant proposal will be formed.
