Cypriots seeking an off-season holiday have an enriched selection of hotels to choose with 180 hotel units offering discounted prices to locals during the pandemic.
The Deputy Ministry of Tourism has announced an additional 80 tourist accommodation units added to the initial 96.
With hotels participating in the scheme will offer lower prices for the remainder of the season, Cypriots now have the chance to take a discounted break from September to November.
The Deputy Ministry of Tourism plan, providing affordable hotel prices with the state subsidizing part of the cost, was introduced to boost Cyprus tourism which took a battering from the coronavirus pandemic.
“The general objectives of the Special Support Scheme for Domestic Tourism are to extend the tourist season and get Cypriots acquainted with the wonders of Cyprus.
The Plan is also expected to help reduce the recession in the economy and maintain employment, in the difficult times the global economy is going through due to the coronavirus pandemic,” said the ministry.
Under the plan, Cypriots can stay at a quality hotel for just €60 a night, during a period when the island still has plenty of sun.
A variety of hotels, including four and five-star, apartments and other tourist accommodation participate in the scheme, offering the maximum price of €80 for a double room in September including breakfast, €70 in October and €60 in November.
Also, 25% of the accommodation costs will be covered by the ministry, including, in some cases, the charges for children who stay in the same room as their parents.
Cypriot holidaymakers have a wide range of hotels to choose from https://www.visitcyprus.com/index.php/en/domestic-tourism-2020.
Cyprus tourism authorities turned to local tourism following a steep annual drop in tourist arrivals due to COVID travel restrictions.
For the eight-months January to August arrivals of tourists plunged by 84.5% reaching 424,850 from 2.73 million in the same period last year.
According to data published by the Cyprus Statistical Service Cyprus tourism revenue also recorded a huge annual drop for the first six months of this year.
Revenue from tourism in June reached €6.7 mln compared to €350.4 mln in the same month last year, recording a 98.1% decline.
For the six-month period January-June, revenue from tourism is estimated at €122 mln compared to €1.003 bln in the same period of 2019, a decrease of 87.8%.
Due to coronavirus lockdown measures, non-residents were barred from entering Cyprus from 15 March until June 9.
Revenue from tourism generated €2.68 bln in 2019, down 1% from the previous year, bolstered by record arrivals of 3.97 million.
A COVID-19-ravaged 2020 will paint a completely different picture for a sector that contributes around 15% GDP to the Cyprus economy.
