Despite Cyprus breaking records regarding tourist arrivals, the tourism industry is still heavily depended on the summer season, with the majority of hoteliers not able to keep their operations going during the winter months.
According to Cyprus Tourism Organisation data, only 173 out of 410 hotels, just 42%, will remain open during this winter season (November 2018 – March 2019). Last year out of the 406 tourist accommodation establishments only 39% (157) remained open for business.
The first nine months of the year, saw arrivals reach 3.2 million, increasing by 8% compared to the 3 million tourists in 2017.
While Ayia Napa and Protaras are beating with life during the summer months, once the calendar hits November they resemble ghost towns, as the vast majority of hotels and restaurants close for winter.
CTO data shows that 14 out of 175 of hotels in the Famagusta region are to close for 5 months as of November. Larnaca will not present the same image as due to the airport, 29 out of 43 hotels will be able to remain open.
A total of 34 out of 59 hotels are to remain open in Limassol, while Paphos will see 66 out of 103 hotels remain open.
The capital’s 30 hotels will all continue operations during the winter months.
Despite figures painting an alarming picture, hoteliers find that there is a silver lining on the horizon.
Zacharias Ioannides, the Director General of the Cyprus Hotel Association (CHA), told the Financial Mirror that, while tourist arrivals saw an increase of around 50% over the past 4 years, the number of tourists arriving during the winter months has doubled.
He said that tourists arriving in the 5-month period of November 2016- March 2017 increased to 600,000 from 300,000 compared to the previous year.
“This is the result of collective efforts made by all stakeholders in the industry, from the government to the hoteliers. We have also managed to shorten the dead period, as in previous years most hotels would close from October to reopen in April or May,” said Ioannides.
He stressed that there is still work to be done to rid the industry from its chronic problem –seasonality.
“We are certain that with creation of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism which is to be up and running in January 2019, we will be able to make leaps and bounds towards solving the problem of seasonality”, Ioannides said.
Echoing the same optimism, Chrisemily Psilogeni, the General Manager of the Association of Cyprus Tourist Enterprises (ACTE) said that despite still being depended on the summer, the country’s tourist industry has made steps towards building a name for the island also as a winter tourist destination.
“There is a lot that can be done. We need to convince the market that we are also a winter destination. We have the climate, now we need to invest in broadening our infrastructure,” commented Psilogeni.
She said that this will be one of the tasks that the new Deputy Ministry will have to take on, suggesting that focus can be on developing alternative tourist products.
Psilogeni argued that Cyprus could very well become an attractive destination for thematic tourism such as sports, religion and gastronomy.
Meanwhile, the CHA has issued a catalogue of some hotels offering discounted prices, in an effort to promote domestic tourism.
