Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus’ return to normal travel guidance levels by the United States and Britain is a positive development that could help limit losses recorded so far this tourist season, Association of Cyprus Travel and Tourism Agents president Charis Papacharalambous said.
Confidence in destination restored
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Papacharalambous said the downgrade of Cyprus’ travel guidance to level 1 by both countries had helped restore confidence in the destination, although the impact of the previous warnings had already been felt.
He said three months had already been lost, but added that during that period the country’s image had largely been restored.
Decline in arrivals easing
Referring to the latest figures on tourist arrivals, Papacharalambous said the decline was gradually easing.
He said the decrease in arrivals was narrowing over time and that he expected this trend to continue until the end of the season.
Arrivals still expected to remain lower
Despite the improvement, Papacharalambous said it was almost certain that arrivals would remain in negative territory compared with last year, at least until the summer period begins.
He said there may then be some scope for airlines to revise their flight schedules, although any recovery would depend not only on demand but also on the number of available seats to Cyprus.
Air seat capacity remains a constraint
Papacharalambous said access to Cyprus depended entirely on air travel, making seat availability a key factor.
He added that with air seats to Cyprus reduced this summer, even slightly, compared with last year, it would be difficult to expect an increase in arrivals.
