Tourism chiefs seek to lift 'unfair' US travel warning for Cyprus

Cyprus hoteliers have reported cancellations for April and May and a slowdown in new bookings for the coming months, following the US travel advisory for the island, while industry groups are urging calm and closer coordination with the government.

The Association of Cyprus Tourism Enterprises (Stek) said that “several cancellations of reservations” have already been recorded for April and May, while new reservations for the rest of the period have dropped sharply, raising concerns across the sector.

Stek president Akis Vavlitis said the Cypriot government is expected to make representations to the US Embassy in Cyprus and the US Department of State in order “to lift the unfair travel advisory” issued for Cyprus.

At the same time, he warned that the decline in new bookings from June onwards is particularly worrying, noting that March and April are traditionally the strongest months for reservations for the rest of the tourist season.

He added that there is also concern over possible flight cancellations, particularly following the US advisory.

Given the situation, Vavlitis said the association is in constant contact with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and plans to request an urgent meeting of tourism stakeholders, including the ministers of labour and finance and the deputy tourism minister, possibly under the president of the republic, to discuss measures.

According to him, the aim would be to hear the sector’s proposals and prevent the tourist season from being negatively affected, especially as no one can predict how long the current conflict will last.

“We all need to be calm, sober and clear-headed, without panic, but there must be some measures, which we will tell the authorities,” he said.

He also noted that an extraordinary Stek council meeting will take place next Friday, where the association will decide on its next actions.

Meanwhile, the Hoteliers Association (Pasyxe) said that the long-term outlook for the summer season does not appear to be significantly affected at this stage, although some short-term adjustments have been recorded.

Pasyxe genera director Christos Angelides said “there are some cancellations, but we will have to wait to get all the information to have a complete picture”.

He added that “the long-term plan for the summer does not seem to be particularly affected, at the moment.”

Angelides, who is currently in Berlin for meetings with airlines, tour operators and European partners, said further discussions are expected once industry representatives return to Cyprus.

He explained that two key conclusions are emerging so far, the first being that there should not be excessive concern about the summer programme, as this could undermine travellers’ confidence.

“When customers do not feel good about a destination, they do not feel good about traveling in general,” he said, warning that such perceptions can harm the travel industry beyond Cyprus itself.

The second conclusion, he added, is that the overall summer outlook remains largely intact, with only limited and manageable adjustments in the immediate period regarding reservations and cancellations.

Angelides also said that tour operators are offering flexibility to travellers who wish to postpone trips scheduled in the next two to three weeks, allowing them to move their bookings to later in the summer.

He added that operators are also taking steps to mitigate the impact on the sector, describing this as helpful for the Cypriot tourism industry.

“We have received assurances from major agents that British Airways and EasyJet will resume their flights, which is a very positive point,” he said.

To better assess the situation, Pasyxe will send a questionnaire to its members, with results expected within the coming week.

Despite the uncertainty, Angelides stressed that the sector intends to remain optimistic.

“We are always trying to maintain a positive spirit,” he said, noting that Cyprus’ tourism and hotel industry has already faced many difficult periods in the past.

“Every crisis is different. We have experience. We must be calm and coordinated, all tourism stakeholders, in order to make timely and immediate decisions,” Angelides added, before stressing that the speed of decision-making is also crucial.