Speaking at a meeting with the deputy ministry, the hoteliers’ association Pasyxe and tourism bodies in Limassol, Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis said the year is now expected to close with a decline of around 5%, despite what he described as a successful response to earlier disruptions.
Summer Losses Narrow As Recovery Takes Shape
The decline eased to around 1% in June and just over 1% in July, while August data have not yet been released. The first seven months recorded an 8% decline, Koumis said.
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“The total percentage for the first seven months of the year has dropped to 8 per cent, and I emphasise the word dropped because it indicates that the decrease is clearly now on a downward path,” Koumis said.
He pointed to the crisis earlier this year, when a drone strike at RAF Akrotiri and the US-Israeli conflict with Iran triggered thousands of cancellations and a freeze in reservations. Authorities responded with a series of measures as the scale of the disruption became clear, he said.
Limassol’s Capacity Challenge Remains
Limassol Tourism Board President Andreas Tsouloftas said the conversion of small hotels into short-term residential units has reduced available bed capacity. He said this limits the city’s ability to expand beyond its current 12% share of national tourism.
“It would be a good thing if there were interest or some incentives to increase these beds, instead of focusing on just attracting higher spending visitors,” he said.
Pollution Concerns Remain With Shipping Authorities
Asked about reported pollution off the Limassol coast, Koumis said the issue falls under the responsibility of the deputy shipping ministry.
“We know that the issue has already been analysed, it will be managed by the competent authorities of the country and from there on we hope that a solution will be found in the long term,” he said.
Tourism Groups Strengthen Promotion
Pasyxe’s Limassol chief Christos Tsanos said the association is strengthening promotional efforts with the Employers and Industrialists Federation (Oev), the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) and the municipality.
