Nicosia: The Cyprus Hotel Association (PASYXE) records increased demand for hotel bookings currently in view of the Easter holiday, PASYXE Director General Christos Angelides said in his statements to CNA on Monday.
According to Cyprus News Agency, there has been increased activity in terms of hotel bookings in recent weeks due to the coincidence of Orthodox, Catholic and Jewish Easter, as well as increased demand in the following period until April 25. He added that based on available data, a slight downturn is expected thereafter, with demand levels to return, however, from the beginning of May.
Asked about hotel occupancy rates, Angelides said that in the Paphos area occupancy is between 70% and 80%, in the Famagusta area between 60% and 70%, while the Larnaca area is just above 70%, both due to the airport’s presence and an increased interest in the city itself, he noted. On the visitors’ main countries of origin, he said that the main markets for Cyprus remain those of the UK, Poland, Germany, Israel and the Nordic countries, which he said account for around 60% to 70% of the total number of visitors.
Invited to assess this year’s tourist season prospects, Angelides said that pre-bookings represent 6%-7% for the whole summer period and that the Association is adopting a wait-and-see approach in view of developments with trade wars taking place at this time. Replying to a question about the readiness of hotels with regard to the installation of desalination units, Angelides said that despite several technical difficulties, it would be desirable for the installation of these units to be completed before the end of this year’s season.
“We hope hotels will be able to secure desalination units by September and even October. There is interest on the part of hoteliers, but there is also difficulty in finding the units, as production takes 6-8 weeks, with orders from countries such as Israel, France and Greece,” he said. “The water challenge will definitely be a big one. We want to combine desalination with renewable energy, but for this to happen, there must be storage capacity for stable energy supply and protection of the desalination units,” he added, adding that PASYXE is in contact with the Ministry of Agriculture to contribute to these efforts.
He concluded by saying that in two weeks the Association will be able to provide a better account on this year’s tourist season progress, as the impact of trade wars on national economies and disposable income in the main countries of origin of visitors will have become clear.