Hoteliers: Rooms are filling up but we still urgently need staff

Cyprus’ hotels are preparing for what they anticipate to be a satisfactory summer in terms of occupancy, including over the upcoming ‘Kataklysmos’ long weekend which is considered to be a forerunner of the summer season.

Kataklysmos is a water-based festival that takes place on the weekend of the Pentecost and Whit Monday. Celebrated only in Cyprus, the festival marks the day of the Holy Spirit but is also linked to ancient pagan ceremonies held in honour of the goddess Aphrodite and the mythical Adonis. This year, it falls over the first weekend of June.

Hotels have reported a very good and increasing flow of reservations from both local and overseas guests. However, hoteliers are still being confronted with the chronic labour-related issues that have plagued the industry in recent years, with the main “thorn in their side” being staff shortages.

‘Kataklysmos’ long weekend

Regarding the Kataklysmos (Flood Festival) long weekend, speaking to InBusinessNews, the Director General of the Cyprus Hotel Association (PASYXE) Philokypros Roussounides, outlined the current situation at the hotels, with the coastal cities, as is to be expected, being of most interest to holidaymakers.

"It seems that with the bookings recorded for the three days, the hotels will have an occupancy of 60-80%. Please note that this percentage is not an average for bookings. Certainly, due to the fact that we have entered the summer season, the hotels on the coast, such as Paphos and free Famagusta, and secondly Limassol and Larnaca are getting their due. We are also observing a significant mobilization for bookings in the mountains," he said.

Roussounides pointed out that while a number of Cypriots have chosen to stay at the hotels for the three-day weekend, there is also a flow from the UK, Israel, Poland, Germany and from the Nordic countries, such as Sweden, and Finland, creating business for the hotels.

"Hot" in summer

As for the summer, and with June just around the corner, the numbers are growing and the hoteliers are expressing cautious optimism that last year’s figures will be surpassed.

"It looks like we will move into positive numbers this summer. I think we can surpass last year's season, but we are staying cautious. But if there is also the phenomenon, which we believe will happen, of last-minute bookings, our hotels will come out all the stronger," he emphasised.

Of course, with inflation galloping ahead and consumers fairly subdued, it's only natural that hotel prices are high among tourist concerns. As Roussounides explains, the prices have slightly increased since last year, but without making a substantial difference to the consumer's pocket. The small increase observed is mainly due to the fact that hotel costs have more than doubled.

“Most businesses have absorbed the costs, but we are an industry that cannot pass them on. Not everyone can absorb them. Let's say that some hotels have kept the same prices, reducing their profits. It's a challenge for us," he underlines.

A lack of staff

A major obstacle to the full operation of hotels, meanwhile, remains a lack of staff. This is a perennial problem, for the solution of which PASYXE is in contact with the relevant ministries, seeking a solution as soon as possible.

"The problem is huge, and has not been resolved. But what we have to say and credit the Deputy Minister of Tourism with is that he fully understands our concerns and is trying to resolve them as soon and as well as possible. We are in contact with the Minister of Labour and the Deputy Minister of Tourism and we have excellent cooperation with both of them," pointed out the Director General of PASYXE.

With the tourist season already started, the hotels filling up day by day, and the possibility of more tourists coming, Philokypros Roussounides concludes by sending his own message.

"Any efforts to attract tourism from new markets should continue and more incentives should be given to our compatriots. Like the Domestic Tourism Enhancement Plan, if there is something similar, it would be a good thing," he explained.

(Source: InBusinessNews)