Cyprus businesses dismayed at Boris Johnson’s ambiguity on foreign travel

Prime minister Boris Johnson’s reluctance to confirm the date upon which foreign travel will be permitted for British citizens has extended the uncertainty in the already beleaguered Cypriot tourism industry.

However, despite the negative impact on short-term bookings, Cypriot businesses are quietly optimistic that the mooted date of May 17th for foreign travel may still come to pass.

“The announcement from Boris Johnson was in a nutshell quite reassuring as it has given hope that the 17th of May might not be that unattainable. That raises our hopes that the commencement of package holidays may be sooner than anticipated,” said Sea Island Travel’s Andy Christodoulides. Sea Island Travel represents Jet2holidays in Cyprus and is one of the island’s biggest tour operators for British tourists coming to Cyprus.

“Although bookings have decreased to a trickle, we are confident that there will be a surge in demand once the UK government becomes more specific and confirms their revised foreign travel guidelines,” Christodoulides added.

Things are slightly different for agencies not dealing with visitors to Cyprus who aren’t purely tourists or leisure-seekers.

“We mostly work with corporate and special interest group travel, which is expected to properly start from September onwards. We hope that by that time vaccinations will have progressed to a satisfactory point and to a level that could facilitate group travel again.

The summer months are a period for family and leisure travel. It’s anyone’s guess really when Boris Johnson will confirm that open travel from the UK will be able to resume, especially post Brexit, as the UK is not bound by any EU-wide directives on travelling,” explained Drakos DMC’s Managing Director Orestis Aristides.

“We are confident that as more and more people get vaccinated, both agencies, hotels, airlines and governments will commit to reopening up travel. I believe the upcoming demand of the summer months will help untangle the vicious cycle that the pandemic has caused,” Aristides added.

The hotel industry has expressed discontent at Johnson’s lack of an exact date for foreign travel but estimates that the second half of the tourist season will be much more active than the first few months of the season.

“Johnson’s vague statement is definitely a negative development for us as no certain date for foreign travel has been provided. This will certainly affect bookings and keeps the tourism industry and the broader UK market on life support,” said Paphos-based Panayiotis Kyprianou, Anassa Hotel’s Director of Business Development.

“There is huge uncertainty, especially for the first few months of the season. But in terms of the second half of the season, meaning from August to October, the current indications point towards the market moving in a satisfactory manner,” Kyprianou added.

The immediate sense of disappointment coupled with the quiet optimism stemming from the proposed date of May 17th is shared in Limassol.

“Despite promising to clarify international travel, Boris Johnson swerved the issue completely, saying that the travel task force is still working on the next steps,” said Kratinos Socratous, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Parklane, a luxury resort and spa in Limassol

“I hold on to the fact that he has more or less reconfirmed May 17th as the ‘kick off’ for overseas travel,” Socratous concluded.