May occupancy rate in Paphos hotels at 55 per cent

The occupancy rate of hotels in Paphos for the month of May will be 55 per cent, according to the president of the Paphos Hoteliers Association Thanos Michaelides.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency on Thursday, Michaelides said that, under normal circumstances, the majority of foreign tourists visiting the Paphos district in May would be Russians.

“The war created a gap in our occupancy rate for this month and it will be impossible to fill it,” he said.

“For the time being, there is a lot of uncertainty in the tourism industry because of the war in Ukraine. The inflation deriving from the conflict is also causing an increase in airfare tickets and general operating costs.”

Michaelides added, however, that there is interest in visiting Cyprus from other markets, such as the UK and Israel, which he called a positive sign if compared to the low number of foreign tourists in 2020 and 2021.

“The numbers in June will definitely be better than the ones recorded throughout the past two years,” he said.

He said many hotels in Paphos were still facing issues, most notably staff shortages, because of the damage created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Nevertheless, the outlook for the upcoming summer seems promising. People will spend more time and more money while on holiday this year and occupancy rates will certainly be higher in Paphos,” he said.

“People are still worried about coronavirus, but they also want to finally enjoy their holidays.”