Traffic in hotels in Cyprus has improved in June compared to previous months, according to the president of the Cyprus All-Cyprus Hoteliers Association, Thanos Michaelidis, who, however, points out that the tourist market is still moving at lower levels than usual for the season.
As he mentioned, traffic in June is noticeably better than in the months of March, April and May.
Despite the improvement, the usual levels of June have not yet been reached, with the situation being comparatively better than the previous period.
He noted that there is an upward trend in the flow of bookings, although they are still below normal levels.
Mr. Michailidis expressed the hope that after the end of the crisis in Iran there will be a further improvement in demand and the flow of bookings, clarifying however that so far there are no concrete indications to confirm this perspective.
At the same time, he hoped that the latest developments would contribute to an increase in bookings in the coming months, especially in July, August and September.
Referring to the overall picture of this year, he characterized 2026 as a difficult year for the hotel industry, underlining that the tourism industry went through quite difficult periods from March until recently.
As he said, efforts are focused on maintaining interest in Cyprus and reducing the impact caused by the adverse conditions, with the aim of saving as much of the tourism year as possible until the end of the year.
However, as he noted, the evolution of the situation remains unpredictable.
As far as occupancy rates are concerned, the president of PASYXE stated that the picture differs significantly from province to province and also from hotel to hotel. In Free Famagusta, hotel occupancy in June averages 60%, while in Paphos they reach around 70%, recording a comparatively smaller decrease from last year.
He reminded that under normal conditions the occupancy rates in the corresponding period last year hovered around 90%. Mr. Michaelides also pointed out that in order for hotels to be profitable, high occupancy rates are required. As he explained, the profitability of hotel units is evaluated on an annual basis, however in practice the main tourist activity is limited to about six months of the year, which makes it critical to achieve high occupancy during the tourist season. Regarding Limassol, he noted that the province is in a comparatively better position than other regions, as it also benefits from business tourism.
The supply of beds is more limited, which helps to maintain better occupancy rates.
Nevertheless, Limassol also shows lower occupancy compared to previous years, although to a lesser extent compared to other provinces.
At the same time, the British market continues to be the most important source of tourists for Cyprus, maintaining the lead in arrivals, while positive messages are also recorded from the Israeli market, which has started to show mobility again, he concluded.