ACTE expects more tourists in Cyprus this summer

Speaking at the Annual General Assembly of the Association in Nicosia, Vavlitis said that during the past decade 3,2 million tourists and 4 billion euros were lost in the tourist sector.

However, he added, “during this summer season we anticipate a recovery in comparison with last year due to bookings from Russia, Germany and Scandinavia as well as from England.”

One of the problems faced by the hotel industry, he pointed out, is seasonal tourism which forces a significant number of tourist enterprises to close.

''The closing of many businesses during the winter season is especially catastrophic not only for the hotel industry but also for the economy in general'', he said.

He said that long-term absence of new enriched investment and investment in the tourist infrastructure have contributed to the large dependence of local tourism on an old-fashioned tourist product which does not create the necessary conditions for a profitable tourist industry.

Vavlitis referred to the role the Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) should have through relinquishing irrelevant activities it now has to manage, adding the need for ACTE participating in the CTO Board.

He also referred to the need to create a think tank and a national council, as he said, concerning the development of tourism in Cyprus.