Nicosia, Cyprus. Signals for the upcoming summer tourism season are encouraging, with a steady flow of bookings across markets and strong demand for the Famagusta district, according to the Famagusta Hoteliers Association.
Booking trends and season start
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), association president Panayiotis Constantinou said the period after Christmas remains particularly difficult for tourism in the area. He added that the messages for the start of the new summer season, estimated at the beginning of April, are good, as most hotels in the district are expected to begin operating.
Constantinou said there is a good flow of bookings from all markets, particularly the main markets that prefer the Famagusta district: the United Kingdom, Poland, Israel, the Scandinavian countries and the countries of Central Europe. He said the sector expects to start the new season strongly and is looking forward to a very good season.
Caution over regional uncertainty
Constantinou said uncertainty remains and that the sector is cautious due to the situation in the Middle East with Iran. He said the industry is optimistic and hopes there will be no unforeseen events in the coming months.
Tourism fairs and promotion strategy
Constantinou said the association will take part in upcoming tourism exhibitions. A delegation with the Famagusta Regional Tourism Board (Etap) and local hoteliers will participate in the Belgrade exhibition from February 19-22.
He said participation at the ITB Berlin fair on March 3-5 will be broader, with most regional hoteliers attending alongside the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, the municipalities of Paralimni-Deryneia and Ayia Napa, the Bank of Cyprus (BoC) and Hermes Airports.
He also said the district’s targeted online promotion campaign is entering its third year and focuses on specific markets. The main targets are the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Switzerland and France, adding that results from the previous two years were encouraging and the effort will continue this year.
How do you expect international travel demand to affect the Famagusta district’s summer season?