Operators have long sold the benefits of ‘the real Cyprus’ over the mass market version, and private villas are one of the best ways to experience it.
The tourist office has been promoting refurbished traditional village houses for some years, but staying inland rarely suits parents with small children who want easy access to the beach. And if village houses have a pool it is typically shared, which might not suit some holidaymakers.
A villa with a private pool may be a good compromise for those who want to experience the traditional Cypriot way of life on their own terms.
The demand for villa holidays on the island continues to grow. Meon Villas has seen a 30% increase in sales over the last year, and is helping agents to benefit by launching a dedicated trade brochure offering 16 villas in the west of Cyprus.
The operator returned to selling through the trade in September, and programme director Rob Graham said the response has been extremely encouraging.
“The new brochure has been put together specifically with the needs of agents in mind and to satisfy demand in the upper-middle market, where the strength of the villa market lies,” Graham said.
The brochure features eight luxury villas, including three new properties, in private settings rather than complexes.
“Agents are embracing villas because they can be incredibly good value. But people are looking for something different. You have to be able to offer them a unique property that you can’t find anywhere else,” explained Graham.
The Internet is an important selling tool, as clients are hungry for ‘insider’, TripAdvisor-style information. Meon launched a trade website featuring videos and user reviews in November last year.
“Many of these properties are built by local entrepreneurs, so they often don’t have websites. Clients can be concerned about what the villas are really like and this gives them a 360-degree view,” explained Graham.
Meanwhile, villa specialist Premier Holidays has added 10 new villas in Cyprus for 2008. Sales manager Tara Anthony Deery said: “Agents have traditionally shied away from villas but they’ve been missing out on a growing market. Villas allow clients to try areas of Cyprus they’ve never visited before – hotels can be very limited.”
He also urged agents to think of Cyprus when making winter, as well as summer holiday bookings.
“Clients can ski in the mountains and catch some sun at the coast – it’s a perfect winter destination.”
Although many consumers are now booking their own holidays online, operators say a large proportion still come to villa operators to book their trip.
Olympic Holidays commercial director Photis Lambrianides said Cyprus villa packages are not under threat from dynamic packaging.
“Without no-frills flights to Cyprus, people are less likely to put together a Cyprus holiday themselves. Booking a full package offers the best value and is less work. Dynamic packaging has created its own market; it hasn’t stolen customers from the package holiday sector.”
