It would be quite a satisfactory scenario for the hotel industry if 2026 were to end with losses of around 10%, the Director General of the Cyprus Hotel Association (CHA- Pasyxe), Christos Angelides has said, noting that July and August performed at satisfactory levels, especially given the large number of cancellations that had preceded them.
“Following the major difficulties experienced in March, April and May, with losses of around 30% during that period, as well as cancellations for the remainder of the season, it appears that the efforts made by both the private sector and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, as well as all the stakeholders involved, such as ACTTA, Hermes and their members, have paid off,” Angelides said in statements to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
He noted that “we recovered a significant part of the lost ground in June,” while July and August performed at satisfactory levels, particularly considering the large number of cancellations that had occurred previously.
The Director General of CHA expressed hope that this trend would continue into the autumn, noting that positive signs are being recorded for bookings in September, October, even November, he said, adding that the hope is that there will be no further losses, allowing the season to close at around 10% below last year’s level. “This would be considered a great success, if one takes into account what preceded it and the very negative publicity Cyprus received,” he said.
Regarding hotel occupancy rates in the coming autumn months, he said that occupancy in September is currently close to 75-80%. “We hope for the same in October,” he said, noting that last-minute bookings and reservations made just two to three weeks in advance continue to dominate. This, he explained, benefits Cyprus as a destination, since the island enjoys better weather conditions than the Greek islands and the islands of the western Mediterranean.
“We hope that hostilities will remain at manageable levels in terms of travellers’ sentiment, so that we can achieve the numbers we are hoping for,” he said.
Regarding the winter season, Angelides mentioned that the tourism sector is awaiting final information on airlines’ and tour operators’ flight programmes “in order to have a clearer picture of where we are heading.” He stressed that efforts to promote Cyprus as a winter destination, as well as for 2027, must continue unabated.
Asked approximately how many hotels remain open during the winter, he said that around 60 had remained open last year. “It is a small number, and we hope that gradually more hotels will remain open. What matters is that those which do remain open operate year-round,” he said, adding that many hotels are extending their operations through November and are also opening earlier in the year.
(Source: CNA)
