The Easter holiday season saw restaurants, bars and other venues across Cyprus suffer a 50 per cent decline in business activity, compared to the previous year, according to Neophytos Thrasyvoulou, president of the Federation of Leisure Centre Owners (Osika).
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Thrasyvoulou mentioned that one of the reasons for this drop is a reduction of tourists during this time, which he attributed to the fact that Catholic Easter occurred earlier this year than Orthodox Easter.
What is more, he stated that Cypriots preferred to spend the Easter holiday at family gatherings.
In addition, he noted that restaurants and bars are expected to record an increase in turnover across Easter Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Thrasyvoulou also said that venues experienced some reprieve during the Holy Week from university students who came to Cyprus to spend Easter with their families.
Responding to a question related to staff shortages, Thrasyvoulou praised the Minister of Labour for his actions seeking to grant work permits to individuals from third countries.
He emphasised the need for immediate issuance of permits to industry professionals to bring workers from third countries within a timeframe of 20-30 days, similar to the processing for asylum seekers.
Finally, Thrasyvoulou also expressed the lingering issue of bureaucracy, stating that Osika is working towards reducing any delays caused by certain government processes.
