Prices have gone down at several coastal food and beverage establishments in Cyprus, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation has announced, adding that there has also been a sharp fall in cases where local businesses charged more than what their price list showed.
The CTO also said that the first half of the year saw an increase of 6% in tourist arrivals, that exceeded one million, noting that the drop in the number of Russian tourists was covered from traditional markets.
“It seems that there is a good momentum,” Deputy Director General of CTO Annita Demetriades told a press conference speaking about the rights and obligations of Cypriot consumers during their holidays in Cyprus, adding that “data for the first six months of the year shows an increase of almost 6%”.
Demetriades said that CTO and other stakeholders` efforts have borne fruit and that revenue from tourism has increased as well.
“Nonetheless, there is a decline in the Russian market, which was expected. However we have achieved increased numbers from other traditional markets that have covered the gap and this way we can manage the drop from Russia,” she said, noting that arrivals in the first six months exceeded one million which is a record number.
Demetriades said competition leads owners of coastal businesses to reduce their prices, if they find out that they are more expensive, compared with the price observatory, prepared by the CTO.
She noted that the consumers have the right to file a complaint to the CTO if they find out that they paid more than what the price list of the establishment says and the owner could be prosecuted.
CTO Quality Assurance Department Deputy Director Giorgos Pericleous said that the price observatory has alarmed many coastal food and beverage establishments and has led them to cut their prices down.
He said that the price of a frappe, a very popular foam-covered iced coffee drink, has gone down to 2 euro in some establishments in the tourist coastal area of Protaras, from 4 to 5 euro in previous years.
Pericleous spoke of a “sharp fall” in the cases of establishments that charged more than the prices on their price lists.
Demetriades added that consumers can file their complaints by contacting the CTO call centre on 22-691100.