LARNACA has been hardest hit in the holiday bookings stakes this year, showing a drop of 58 per cent in reservations from the UK.
According to internal Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) figures, bookings for Paphos are down 23 per cent, Limassol 36 per cent, and Ayia Napa 50 per cent as of the end of February.
Ayia Napa has suffered not only from the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US but also from its growing reputation as a riotous resort for British clubbers. A British market expert earlier this month said that demand for Ayia Napa was already down before September 11, particularly as regards families.
The CTO figures, which were presented to the cabinet on Wednesday, also show that bookings with the main British tour giants are substantially down over last year. The bigger operators have cut a total of 150,000 seats to Cyprus this year. Bookings with Thomas Cook are down 40 per cent, First Choice 32 per cent Airtours 25 per cent, and Thomson 15 per cent.
Cypriot specialists Libra has seen bookings plummet 37 per cent, Olympic 36 per cent, Argo 46 per cent, Cosmos 48 per cent, Amathus 64 per cent and Cyprair 57 per cent. However two specialists, Golden Sun and Cyplon, have seen their bookings for 2002 rise 15 per cent and four per cent respectively.
The data also shows that departures for Cyprus from Stansted would be down by 47 per cent, Gatwick 42 per cent, Glasgow 33 per cent and Manchester 29 per cent.
The island’s hoteliers say the bookings situation is bleak but Tourism Minister Nicos Rolandis believes numbers will pick up in the coming months with a spate of last-minute reservation.
The Cabinet is expected to approve additional advertising revenue for tourism, reportedly in the region of £4 million, at its next meeting on May 8.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
