President of the Larnaca Hoteliers Association Marios Polyviou on Wednesday reported a slight decrease in tourist bookings in Larnaca compared to last year, noting that arrivals to the island are being affected by a range of world events, including the UK general election.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Polyviou said that “with the start of the summer season, there appears to be a small reduction in bookings compared to last year”.

“However,” he continued, “we cannot describe the year as being unsatisfactory”.

“Given last year’s data, we are witnessing a decrease that will become evident by the end of the season, as the booking landscape has changed significantly, with many last-minute bookings,” he added.

Responding to a question about the collapse of German tour operator FTI, Polyviou said that the company’s bankruptcy has not significantly affected bookings in the Larnaca district, as the operator did not facilitate a large number of bookings.

However, Polyviou did note that “this bankruptcy remains a blow to tourism, especially from markets like Germany and Poland, where FTI specialised”.

He added that “with FTI’s bankruptcy, we lost a partner that supplied quality tourism to Larnaca, albeit to a lesser extent than other districts”.

Addressing the ongoing war in Ukraine, Polyviou said that “this conflict has essentially halted the flow of tourist arrivals, particularly from Russia, which about three years ago was one of Cyprus’ main markets”.

“The absence of the Russian market means a significant segment of traditional visitors to Cyprus is missing,” he added.

Polyviou also mentioned that “the new factor in this year’s tourism season is the impact on the Israeli market, which last year had tremendous momentum and resulted in a significant increase in arrivals to Larnaca, making it perhaps the city’s main market”.

“We hope that a solution to the conflict will be found, ending the daily events in our neighbouring country,” the association president stated.

Asked whether he is optimistic about the remainder of the tourist season in Larnaca, Polyviou said that there are clear challenges on the horizon, such as the aforementioned war in Israel.

“Additionally”, he said, “the Euro 2024 football tournament and the Olympic Games in Paris suggest that many people might choose to attend these major events rather than go on traditional holidays”.

He further explained that “the UK general election on July 4 seems to be disrupting the flow of arrivals to Cyprus“.

“The prolonged economic recession in Europe and the UK, issues in air travel, which have resulted in a reduction in available seats, and rising airfares all seem to be affecting the flow of arrivals,” Polyviou added.

“These factors suggest that this year, we might not achieve a tourist season on par with last year,” he concluded.