Encouraging start to Paphos’ tourism season

Almost all hotels in Paphos, over 115 units in total, have opened for the season, the Paphos hoteliers’ association said on Monday.

April bookings are much better compared to last year’s, reaching capacities between 40 and 70 per cent, and even 80 per cent in some cases, spokesman Evripides Loizides told the Cyprus News Agency.

Any gaps caused by the restart of the season will be covered from May onwards, he added.

Loizides said that most bookings have come from British tourists, with Russian and Ukrainian tourists not in the picture as a result of the war in Ukraine, which has also affected bookings from neighbouring Poland.

Even the British market has been affected, but bookings from the UK have still managed to reach old levels, as opposed to last year, when the first British tourists arrived in Paphos on August 20.

Loizides also applauded the deputy tourism ministry for its efforts in attracting visitors from other markets like France and Germany, saying Paphos expects this year to be a much better one.

Despite seeing an overall improvement, especially compared to the Famagusta district, which has lost more Russian tourists, Loizides said that the Paphos hotel market is still behind.

Loizides also touched on difficulties in finding people to hire, saying Paphos hoteliers are expecting the government to come up with tangible solutions for hiring staff from third countries as the number of Ukrainian refugees wishing to work in hotels is not enough to cover the huge understaffing problem.

Although there were discussions and some informal agreements, nothing has been implemented, he added.

Asked about Easter, Loizides said there will be some movement in domestic tourism, adding that the deputy ministry has announced a new holiday incentive scheme that will last from May 1 to July 31.