Hospitality stakeholders in Ayia Napa are making efforts to attract more tourists from Poland, Ayia Napa mayor Christos Zanettou told Phileleftheros.
He noted that local authorities and tourist bodies are participating in expos in four Polish cities (Warsaw, Poznan, Sopot and Wroclaw).
The Polish market has been an increasingly reliable source of revenue for Cyprus, as this year 220,000 tourists are expected from the country. Last year arrivals from Poland were 185,000, while in 2019, a record year for Cypriot tourism, only 80,000 people travelled from the Central European country to Cyprus.
Mayor Zanettou said that prolonging the tourist season is among the main reasons for focusing on the Polish market.
“Efforts to prolong the tourist period, as well as to promote the municipality, will always be in our priorities, to render our area a diverse and quality holiday destination. Initiatives to boost and support the tourism industry and rejuvenate tourism are vital for us, especially during the challenging winter circumstances,” Zanettou said.
This year, 16 to 17 flights will be flying from Poland to Larnaca airport, per week, at the peak of the tourist season, while there are also several flights operating from Paphos airport.
Mayor predicts 10%-15% rise in arrivals
Hospitality stakeholders have been working hard to cover the gap left by the loss of the Russian market, Zanettou told Phileleftheros.
Besides Polish tourists, the mayor said there are increased numbers of bookings from the U.K., Germany, France and Nordic countries.
“My personal estimation is that the increase in arrivals will be around 10%-15% compared to 2022,” Zanettou said.
