Hotel occupancy rates in Paphos are set to surpass 90% during the Kataklysmos long weekend, reflecting particularly strong demand. The surge is driven mainly by domestic visitors choosing the city for short getaways, offering a welcome boost to the hotel sector, though concerns about the overall trajectory of this year’s tourism season remain.
Speaking to Cyprus News Agency, the President of the Paphos Hoteliers Association, Euripides Loizides, described the outlook for the holiday weekend as highly encouraging, noting that most hotels are already operating at very high capacity.
He said occupancy is expected to exceed 90%, underlining Paphos’ continued appeal as a popular short-break destination. However, he cautioned that a brief spike in demand cannot offset the broader challenges facing the season.
“This effectively amounts to just two overnight stays within an entire month. Kataklysmos alone is not enough to make up for the losses,” he said, pointing out that May has recorded a noticeable decline compared to the same period last year.
According to Loizides, average hotel occupancy in Paphos has dropped by 20% to 25% compared to May 2025. April also showed a similar downward trend, with a decline of around 27%.
He attributed part of the decrease to the growing shift toward short-term rentals, noting that platforms such as Airbnb now account for an estimated 30% to 33% of the local market. He also highlighted the diversion of tourists to the occupied areas, which he said are capturing a significant share of visitor traffic.
Looking ahead to June, Loizides expressed caution, noting that booking trends so far mirror those of May, with losses again expected to be close to 25%.
“Unfortunately, many travellers are opting for alternative types of accommodation rather than hotels,” he said, adding that the primary concern is now staff retention rather than just financial performance.
“Hoteliers can endure a difficult year. The real issue is losing staff—once they leave the sector, it is very difficult to bring them back,” he noted, warning of potential impacts on employment.
Loizides also pointed to declines in key tourism markets and major tour operators. Jet2, he said, has seen a drop of around 20% in arrivals via Larnaca Airport and approximately 14% via Paphos Airport.
TUI is also experiencing a notable downturn compared to previous years. While initial losses were estimated at around 30%, they have since narrowed to between 23% and 24%, still considered significantly high.
Among individual markets, the Israeli market continues to underperform, while the Polish market currently appears to be the only one maintaining positive momentum during this year’s tourism season.
