The flow of tourist bookings to Cyprus has improved, but remains insufficient to cover the gap created by cancellations and the loss of key booking months, Pasyxe Director General Christos Angelides has said.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Angelides said Cyprus now needs an “aggressive strategy” in its tourism markets, using a combination of tools including online promotion, familiarisation trips for travel agents, media visits and cooperation with influencers.
He said the aim should be to remove the “veil of uncertainty” that has affected Cyprus, both because of recent developments and because of the island’s proximity to events in the Middle East.
Angelides stressed, however, that there was no need for panic. “We are the industry of joy, life and optimism, and we must not forget that,” he said.
He described 2026 as a year full of challenges, which must be handled with composure so as not to damage either Cyprus’ reputation or the smooth operation of its hotels.
According to Angelides, March and April have effectively been lost, while May is also falling short of expectations and last year’s figures.
“As the days go by, it unfortunately appears that we will not have the May results that we had all planned for, either as private businesses or as a country,” he said, adding that attention must now turn to the rest of the season so that it is not lost as well.
Angelides said information gathered by Pasyxe through daily contacts and surveys shows weakness in the pace of bookings.
While the flow has improved, he said it is still not enough to offset the cancellations and the lost booking period for the summer, particularly April.
“We are now inevitably entering the period in which we will be competing for last-minute bookings,” he said.
Strong competition from cheaper destinations
Angelides said Cyprus is competing against “giants” such as Spain, Turkey, Greece, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco, many of which are cheaper destinations with lower operating costs.
He noted that flight times to Spanish airports, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, including Majorca, are shorter, making tickets cheaper and allowing aircraft to operate two or three rotations a day.
By contrast, he said an aircraft can usually fly to Cyprus only once a day from markets such as Sweden, Poland or the United Kingdom.
Occupancy at 40%-60%
Angelides said hotel occupancy for the summer currently ranges between 40% and 60%, compared with much higher levels of 80% to 85% in previous years.
“What concerns us is the flow of bookings, which is around five to six times lower,” he said.
The Pasyxe Director General underlined the need for Cyprus to be promoted more strongly and for closer cooperation with airlines.
He also called for large joint campaigns with tour operators from now until the summer of 2027.
Angelides said planning by tour operators and airlines for 2027 has already begun and Cyprus must give them both incentives and a sense of security as partners.
Asked about seasonal workers, Angelides said the issue is a major concern for Pasyxe, as seasonal staff form part of the backbone of hotel operations.
“They are our people, many of whom we bring back year after year, and they are our trained seasonal workers,” he said.
He added that hoteliers are trying to strike a balance by calling back more seasonal workers rather than hiring foreign staff. However, he noted that in many cases seasonal workers do not have the specialisations required for lower-skilled positions, such as cleaning staff.
“Gradually, we will bring them all in, or at least most of them,” he concluded.
Source: CNA
