wards, managing director George Michalias founded Odyssey Holidays, before regaining control of Olympic in 1998 and creating the cumbersome Olympic Holidays, incorporating Odyssey Holidays.
“Olympic is the product and Odyssey is a separate brand which we hope to develop further in the near future – perhaps by the end of the year,” said Michalias.
This could involve a separate brochure which may improve matters since, at 356 pages, the third edition of the summer 2000 Greece and Cyprus brochure is fairly unwieldy.
“Printing and distributing such a large brochure is getting impractical. We might also split it in two by brochuring Greece and Cyprus separately,” Michalias added.
And the programme for Cyprus is also changing.
“We are trying to include more UK departure airports in our itineraries, in addition to newcomers Edinburgh and Belfast. But change has to come in line with growth – we don’t want to leave any part of the market behind.”
Agro-tourism breaks in the Troodos Mountains are a product that Michalias wants to expand on. Village houses are a relatively new addition to the programme. Billed as ‘peace and tranquillity far from the madding crowd’, the village of Omodhos is offered in addition to Platres and Agros.
Olympic’s lead-in price for a seven-night self-catering family break in Omodhos is £280 per person, based on four sharing at Media’s House. The price includes flights and car hire.
Michalias added that village housing is only a start to this type of break. Specific add-ons, such as archaeological tours, bird watching and walking, commissionable to agents, are currently being added to the programme.
Cyprus Tourism Organisation UK director Orestis Rossides said this was encouraging.
“Operators should definitely be pushing the mountains. Village resorts allow visitors to see the real Cyprus and encourage a high repeat client rate. And these sort of breaks, along with special interests such as walking or golf, help Cyprus to develop its winter market.”
One of the other strengths of the Cypriot market that Michalias wants to capitalise on is weddings.
“When they were first offered, foreign weddings meant the Caribbean. But since civil ceremonies were legalised in Cyprus in 1988, the market really took off,” he said.
“Cyprus offers the benefits of simplicity and cost, it is easier to get the family there.”
Olympic has offered a wedding service since 1989. Its current price for the ceremony is £140 plus £200 for the wedding licence. This can be booked with a number of extras as an add-on to any Olympic holiday.
Inevitably, due to media exposure, Michalias is wary of the reputation as clubbing capital the island now has.
“As a tour operator Ican see that Ayia Napa generates a lot of business. But as a long-term thinker and a national, I think the hype might be too aggressive.” Nevertheless, Olympic offers a variety of accommodation in this latest hotspot.
The budget lead in of £219 for the self-catering Riverside Apartments will no doubt be of interest to the clubbing market. The five-star Aenas Hotel leads in at £465 for seven nights’ bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
In the ever-changing world of independent tour operators, where companies can change hands overnight, having two names can only lead to more confusion.
So there could be some changes at Olympic/Odyssey Holidays this year.
Olympic was formed 33 years ago but was sold in 1994 to First Choice. Shortly afterwards, managing director George Michalias founded Odyssey Holidays, before regaining control of Olympic in 1998 and creating the cumbersome Olympic Holidays, incorporating Odyssey Holidays.
“Olympic is the product and Odyssey is a separate brand which we hope to develop further in the near future – perhaps by the end of the year,” said Michalias.
This could involve a separate brochure which may improve matters since, at 356 pages, the third edition of the summer 2000 Greece and Cyprus brochure is fairly unwieldy.
“Printing and distributing such a large brochure is getting impractical. We might also split it in two by brochuring Greece and Cyprus separately,” Michalias added.
And the programme for Cyprus is also changing.
“We are trying to include more UK departure airports in our itineraries, in addition to newcomers Edinburgh and Belfast. But change has to come in line with growth – we don’t want to leave any part of the market behind.”
Agro-tourism breaks in the Troodos Mountains are a product that Michalias wants to expand on. Village houses are a relatively new addition to the programme. Billed as ‘peace and tranquillity far from the madding crowd’, the village of Omodhos is offered in addition to Platres and Agros.
Olympic’s lead-in price for a seven-night self-catering family break in Omodhos is £280 per person, based on four sharing at Media’s House. The price includes flights and car hire.
Michalias added that village housing is only a start to this type of break. Specific add-ons, such as archaeological tours, bird watching and walking, commissionable to agents, are currently being added to the programme.
Cyprus Tourism Organisation UK director Orestis Rossides said this was encouraging.
“Operators should definitely be pushing the mountains. Village resorts allow visitors to see the real Cyprus and encourage a high repeat client rate. And these sort of breaks, along with special interests such as walking or golf, help Cyprus to develop its winter market.”
One of the other strengths of the Cypriot market that Michalias wants to capitalise on is weddings.
“When they were first offered, foreign weddings meant the Caribbean. But since civil ceremonies were legalised in Cyprus in 1988, the market really took off,” he said.
“Cyprus offers the benefits of simplicity and cost, it is easier to get the family there.”
Olympic has offered a wedding service since 1989. Its current price for the ceremony is £140 plus £200 for the wedding licence. This can be booked with a number of extras as an add-on to any Olympic holiday.
Inevitably, due to media exposure, Michalias is wary of the reputation as clubbing capital the island now has.
“As a tour operator Ican see that Ayia Napa generates a lot of business. But as a long-term thinker and a national, I think the hype might be too aggressive.” Nevertheless, Olympic offers a variety of accommodation in this latest hotspot.
The budget lead in of £219 for the self-catering Riverside Apartments will no doubt be of interest to the clubbing market. The five-star Aenas Hotel leads in at £465 for seven nights’ bed-and-breakfast accommodation.