Hotel occupancy rates during the Easter period ranged between 25% and 45%, Christos Angelides, Director General of the Cyprus Hotel Association, has said, noting that the situation with cancellations and reduced bookings remains largely unchanged.
Speaking to CNA, Angelides said that hotel activity during Easter was limited, especially in the domestic market. “The weighted average occupancy rate ranged between 25% and 45%,” he said, adding that Easter is not traditionally a peak period for Cypriots to stay in hotels. “They prefer to travel abroad or get together with family,” he noted, adding that these figures are slightly below what would normally be expected for the period.
He also noted that most hotels have already opened for the summer season, while all are expected to be open by 20 April.
When asked about booking levels for the summer, Angelides said that, at the current pace, “we are in the same position we were in five weeks ago. Some cancellations are continuing, and the rate of new bookings is not sufficient to improve the overall picture.”
“We hope that bookings will increase to a level that can offset the cancellations,” he added.
He noted that there has been a slight improvement in the level of cancellations, “but there is no strong momentum in bookings, after six weeks (of war).”
“The picture appears somewhat improved, but without many signs of recovery,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the situation continues. Even though we are not at the epicenter of the crisis, since we have been drawn into the picture, we remain affected. We have not managed to shake it off,” he added.
On their part, he said that hotels continue their social media and advertising campaigns, while maintaining in-person contacts through frequent overseas trips by hotel sales managers.
“In our view, the campaign promoting Cyprus as a safe and welcoming destination, with all the advantages it has offered over the years, must continue and be intensified throughout the year, so that we can move past what happened overnight,” he stressed.
(Source: CNA)
