Famagusta hotels optimistic about 2024 despite shorter stays

Hoteliers in Famagusta are optimistic that occupancy levels will be similar to those in 2023, with current rates for July and August standing at 85 to 95 per cent.

Panayiotis Constantinou, President of the Famagusta Hoteliers Association (Pasyxe) on Thursday said that bookings continue strong into the early autumn, aligning well with the figures from the previous year.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Constantinou noted that the region’s hotels have sustained impressive occupancy rates throughout the summer.  

Moreover, with promising reservations extending into September, he remains “optimistic that this trend will continue into October, which is already seeing an increase in bookings”.

“Furthermore, if we manage to extend bookings into November it could yield even better outcomes,” he added.

He also noted that “the main market for the Famagusta district is the British one”.

“However, due to the economic crisis facing the country, tourists are still coming for holidays but their stay is shorter—staying for seven days instead of nine,” he explained.

This, he added, “is reflected in the arrival figures, which do show an increase, but there is a slight decrease in overnight stays”.

“All of this, he continued, “combined with the flow of tourists to the occupied areas of Cyprus, along with the sustained popularity of Airbnb, has created a scenario where, despite an increase in arrivals, overnight stays are not reaching the levels we would expect.”

“However, despite the negative factors in the tourism sector, we are satisfied with the occupancy rates of the hotels in the Famagusta district,” he stated.

Regarding bookings for September, the Pasyxe Famagusta president said that “the figures are very good, and bookings seem to be quite strong, despite the fact that this year there is a significant trend towards last-minute holiday bookings”.

“At the same time, October last year saw considerable availability, but we have managed to cover a lot of ground since then, and it turned out to be a good month as well,” he added.

Asked about the markets from which the Famagusta district draws a substantial amount of tourists, Constantinou replied that “Britain is the biggest one, followed by the Scandinavian countries, Israel, Central Europe—namely Germany, Austria, and Switzerland—and Poland, which is a fairly significant emerging market with increased bookings observed each year”.

“We also have visitors from Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechia, and Slovakia,” he said.

Constantinou also expressed the hope that “we will close the tourism year with a positive outcome”.

“What will determine the overall picture in terms of occupancy is October. As it stands, and provided there are no unforeseen events, we are on a good path, and we will be very close to the desired numbers of last year,” he concluded.