Larnaca’s tourism industry is being tested by waves of uncertainty brought on by the war in the Middle East. According to Marios Polyviou, president of PASYXE Larnaca, cancellations for March range between 15% and 20%, while hotel occupancy does not exceed 40% — at a time when it should be approaching 60%.
The concern does not stop there. What particularly worries industry stakeholders is that “new bookings have completely frozen.” Even if cancellations have not reached massive proportions, the inability to attract new bookings means tourism is running at half capacity.
A positive sign is that mass cancellations for the summer have not yet materialised. As Mr Polyviou explains, “those who cancel usually reschedule for later — they’re waiting for the situation to end.”
Larnaca’s losses are proportionally smaller than those in Paphos and Famagusta. However, the comparison with June is not encouraging: back then, demand surged because the Israeli government urged its citizens to gather in Larnaca or Athens while awaiting the reopening of Tel Aviv’s airport. This time, that did not recur.
The resumption of flights from all EU member states was hugely important, Mr Polyviou notes. “Flight cancellations were sending the wrong message. Now at least connectivity with Europe has been restored.” Cancellations persist only on Middle Eastern routes due to closed airports in the region.
