By Jean Christou
A Limassol-based economist has sent out an SOS for the survival of Platres, saying almost all of its hotels had closed down, and warning that if the mountain resort were to die, so too would others in the Troodos region, according to a study he has carried out.
“The government and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) should be very concerned because the disappearance of the mountain resorts as tourist destinations is being accelerated, which results in a further reduction of the standard of living in the mountain villages and that is being followed by more migration to the cities,” economist Nicos Rossos told the Sunday Mail.
“Platres is in deep recession and practically all of its hotels have closed down. The top one, Forest Park Hotel, with 150 rooms and 85 years of history, is being offered for lease. It used to offer hospitality to royalty.”
Indeed, year after year, even though tourism to the island is booming and reached an all-time high of over three million visitors in 2017, hoteliers in mountain regions relate the same old story. Every August for around two weeks from the 14th of the month, they reach around 60 per cent capacity which sinks to 50 per cent by the end of the month and then continues to fall. From February to May they operate at a loss. And, some 98 per cent of their clientele are Cypriots escaping the city heat during the traditional August holiday period.
Aside from Platres, the…
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