Tourist numbers expected to stick close to 2023 levels

Tourist numbers at the close of the current season are expected to hit approximately the same levels as in 2023 but remain lower than the pre-Covid levels of 2019, with the odd exception of July, president of the Paphos hoteliers’ association Euripides Loizides said on Tuesday.

Loizides said that although the winter season through March had started out satisfactory for the Paphos hotel industry, April and May remained at the same levels as in 2023, while June had shown a marked slowdown of around 5.5 per cent, compared to 2019, yet stood at an equivalent 5.5 per cent higher than 2023.

July, he said, had been a “strange” month, with higher arrival numbers compared to 2023 and 2019, which were not however reflected in hotel reservations.

This is because visitors were opting for Airbnb accommodations or overnight stays in the north, or a combination of the two, Loizides said.

The length of stay has also decreased from the previous average of 10.5 days, which he attributed to the wider economic crisis.

August has been a satisfactory month, boosted by domestic tourism, he said.

For September and October, the hoteliers’ association head said the first indications are satisfactory in terms of occupancy, and he hoped this would not be marred by any unfortunate event in the region.