Paphos Authorities Hope to Maintain Last Year’s Booking Levels

Authorities in Paphos are optimistic about maintaining booking numbers at last year’s levels, despite the economic crisis that has led to a decline in bookings since February.

In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Evripides Loizides, President of the Paphos Hoteliers Association, shared his insights.

Loizides explained that from November 2024 to January 2025, advance bookings for summer 2025 had risen by 7-10%. However, since February, the growth rate has slowed down, and the overall situation has stabilized.

This year, the average vacation length has dropped to 7 days, compared to 10 days in 2019.

“The economic crisis is starting to have a significant impact,” Loizides remarked.

He also highlighted that one-third of tourists are choosing accommodations through platforms like Airbnb and other unlicensed options. He urged the authorities to step up regulation of these types of lodging.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that Paphos is gradually reducing its reliance on seasonal tourism, which has long been one of the sector's biggest challenges in Cyprus. Specifically, this winter, 10,000 hotel rooms were available, signaling a shift towards a longer tourism season.

Paphos’s tourism market continues to rely heavily on travelers from the United Kingdom, Israel, Poland, Greece, Germany, and France. It was also reported that Paphos has become increasingly popular among Polish tourists.