Cyprus Mail
Cyprus

Hotels’ occupancy rates up over Kataklysmos weekend

paphos

Paphos Hotels saw occupancy rates of close to 60 per cent over the long weekend, a significant jump from the 15 per cent averaged over the month of June, Thanos Michaelides, president of the Paphos branch of the Cyprus Hotels Association told the Cyprus News Agency on Tuesday.

But he said that June was effectively a ‘lost month’ while projections were that July would also be a problematic month as regards tourism.

“July is developing into a problematic month because there are no tourism flows and moreover after developments in the UK, we also had cancellations,” Michaelides said.

But if the British government decides to lift quarantine on returning vaccinated passengers, this would be helpful to Cyprus’ tourism sector, he said.

Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News on Tuesday that Britain was working on easing travel restrictions for the fully vaccinated to allow people to enjoy a summer holiday on Europe’s beaches, but the plans were not finalised yet.

Hancock told Sky News that the government did want to let people have a family holiday abroad, but only when it was safe to do so.

“So, we are working on a plan for double vaccinated people, using tests, to have that testing regime in place, instead of having to have the quarantine, in some circumstances,” he said.

As regards the Russian market, Michaelides said this was expected to open towards the end of the month but noted that it is mainly directed to the free Famagusta area with a share coming to Paphos.

For Paphos hotels to remain in operation with such low occupancy rates, the labour minister would need to continue its support scheme for employees at least for the month of July.

The future, so far, looked bleak with occupancy rates worse than in 2020.

The three-day Kataklysmos weekend saw a large number of beachgoers at the district’s beaches, with Coral Bay, Venus, Sodap, Geroskipou and Latchi beaches reporting brisk business, the Cyprus News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, speaking to CyBC radio on Tuesday, Cyprus Hotel Association president Haris Loizides said that most hotels had recorded satisfactory business over the three-day weekend, with occupancy rates of between 60 and 70 per cent.

He added that contacts have been held with the labour minister regarding extending the hotel employees support scheme, which ends this month, to cover July. Loizides said the minister looks positively on such a development and would be instrumental in persuading hoteliers to stay open.

Loizides again appealed to those working in the hotel sector to be vaccinated.

 

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