A crucial test for Cyprus’ tourism in 2020 will be the World Travel Market taking place in London early in November, insiders told Phileleftheros.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios along with hoteliers and travel agents will be there to maximise opportunities in view of a very competitive year, one said.
Tourism in 2020 is marked with uncertainty because of Brexit’s uncertainty, the collapse of British travel giant Thomas Cook and rising competition from neighbouring countries.
World Travel Market, from November 4-6, is the annual meeting point for tourism representatives since it also marks the beginning of early bookings. Substantially, it is an initial “x-ray” on the upcoming season’s tourism trends.
September has been a month full of turmoil since all countries tried hard to fill the void left by Thomas Cook by getting a piece of the pie that has been left behind.
Both the deputy minister and hoteliers plan to have meetings with a number of travel agents and airline representatives to see what the prospects both for 2020 and the years to follow are.
The aim is for risks that may exist to be tackled jointly so as to minimise Brexit’s negative repercussions on tourism arrivals in Cyprus from the UK.
Beyond the London fair, big tourism players have already indicated their plans for 2020. Jet2 has already chartered a large number of flights to bring over to Cyprus Thomas Cook customers from the UK. In fact, it plans to develop its own flight program over the next tourism season. Other big travel agents have also found room to maneuver after the Thomas Cook collapse.
Insiders told Phileleftheros that TUI will significantly increase its presence by bringing thousands of tourists from Scandinavia and Russia.
Apart from travel agents, hoteliers know they have to offer accommodation packages at very competitive prices even if this puts pressure on their finances.
Read more:
https://in-cyprus.com/reprieve-for-thomas-cooks-uk-stores-as-hays-travel-deal-saves-up-to-2500-jobs/
