HOTELIERS IN Paphos are fully booked for the busiest period of the year. The main holiday period in Cyprus is during the month of August, where local tourism boosts occupancy numbers.
Themis Philipides of PASIXE, the hoteliers association said, “Most of the hotels in Paphos are full for August.
“Visitor numbers are high and these are being helped by internal tourism. But I don’t think this situation will last for long, only until the end of the month.
“The International tourism market is in trouble, and as the credit crisis affects tourism, our visitor numbers will suffer. We must pay attention to the local market as well,” he stressed.
“We’re from Nicosia, and come to Paphos for our summer holiday every year,” said Androula Andanopoulos.
“My parents and brothers live in Paphos, and I was born here. There’s no better place to pass the time,” she laughed.
“Paphos has everything. Good restaurants, nice beaches, and a gorgeous pine forest. It’s also good for shopping, and I like the new Paphos Mall.”
Andanopoulos added, “Sometimes I think reports and complaints about Paphos are unfounded .I know the area has changed since I was a kid, but everything changes,” she said.
The Paphos Gardens Hotel is fully booked this week, with guests from all over the world. The figures for the rest of August are not as good, but are showing 75 per cent capacity.
A spokesman for the hotel said global economics are affecting everyone.
“We’re not as busy this year as we were last year, but we have good relationships with tour operators and repeat visitors.”
The Markham family are staying in self-catering accommodation until the end of the month.
“We usually go to Spain, and this is our first visit to Cyprus. We’ve been to a number of the Greek islands, and so are familiar with the food and the language.”
“Our apartment is very nice and clean, and is close to the Tomb of the Kings. We took the children there and they enjoyed it very much,” said Jane Markham.
“I’m a bit surprised as to how developed Paphos is. In fact some areas are over developed. Some friends of ours are staying in the Universal in Paphos think it’s really horrible, just like a big concrete housing estate.”
“It’ s a shame that many of the old buildings are left to fall down, and blocks of flats can be seen everywhere.”
“On a more positive note, the kids are having a great time, and we really like Coral Bay, we’ve been swimming there every day. It gets crowded, but it’s August, you expect that.”
“The restaurants seem child friendly, and if you look around, some are well priced,” said John Markham.
“It’s not as beautiful as the Greek islands, but we’d come again,” he concluded.
Michalis Stephanou is vacationing in Paphos this year, as his wife is heavily pregnant.
“We wanted to go to Athens, but it’s too dangerous for my wife to fly. Our baby is due any minute,” he smiled.
“We wanted to get away from it all, and the easy pace of life in Paphos is like heaven compared with our busy lives in Nicosia.
“The only problem is, you come to Paphos to get away from it all, and half of Nicosia has the same idea.”
He continued, “We’re staying in a five-star hotel, and the service and facilities are excellent. My only criticism is that, too many of the staff are non-Cypriot, and it’s off putting. The hotel seems quite full.”
Irene Papazogoulou of the Thalassa five-star boutique hotel in Paphos spoke to the Cyprus Mail.
“We’re totally booked until the end of the month. In September we only have a few days here and there, and a lot of group bookings. We’ve seen a surge in last-minute bookings via the website, and although business is OK. were looking at other markets who are thriving. These include Belgium, Germany and Russia.’
Papazogoulou continued, “In August, we have mostly foreign visitors for the first two weeks. In the middle of August we have mostly Cypriot, and then at the end of the month it’s a mixture. Many people will be here because of the opera in Paphos.”
“In September our clients are generally older foreigners, and they have a greater spending power, although the credit crunch is definitely affecting us.”
Marcus Johanssen is seven years old and from Belgium, and on his first holiday abroad.
“I really liked the plane; it was a bit scary, but OK. I was excited to be coming to Cyprus. It’s very different where I live, and none of my friends have been here. My aunty has though, and she comes every year now.
“The best thing about Paphos is the fort in the harbour. I took loads of pictures on my dad’s camera, and I also liked the glass bottom boat. The bad thing is that, sometimes it’s very, very hot and I burnt my shoulders.”
“I think the food’s all right, and we had a Cypriot meze with my parents’ friends in a village on Saturday. I really liked that, and I ate a lot. I would like to come back next year.”
The Alexander the Great hotel is fully booked, despite problems earlier in the season with a large works project, taking place next door.
A spokesman said, “We’re fully booked for August and September, with only a few days free here and there. We seem to be seeing similar figures as compared with this period in 2007. The credit crunch hasn’t affected us yet, although we’re lucky that we have a lot of repeat customers. These are mostly British.
“I would say most of our guests are British, although we do have some Cypriots staying for this main holiday period.”
