Hoteliers offer 50% discounts to locals

Faced with declining bookings and ever rising costs, the island’s hoteliers launched their summer brochure offering discounts of up to 50% to Cypriots and other permanent residents on the island.

The summer brochure of the Cyprus Hoteliers Association (PASYXE)

contains a list of 94 hotels that are members of the Association. The scheme is being launched for the third year running with the cooperation of the Bank of Cyprus and American Express credit cards, and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO).

CTO chairman Photis Photiou said an advertising campaign to promote domestic tourism would also be launched.

“Domestic tourism is a strategic goal for us and part of our strategic plan,” said Photiou, adding that there were many places in Cyprus that most Cypriots had never seen. He also said domestic holidaymakers helped tourism in difficult times.

“Despite the prevailing impression, hoteliers don’t remember the Cypriot consumer only when the number of arrivals from abroad falls during the off season,” said Haris Loizides, chairman of PASYXE.

He said that in Greece one in three tourists is Greek, and that if Cyprus could accomplish having one in five tourists being Cypriot, it would be a very good development.