A North Cypriot car hire company is urging tourists to book their car hire now in order to guarantee an available vehicle for the 2010 holiday season.

Pacific Rent-a-Car has predicted a major shortage of vehicles which will make last minute bookings impossible as the company struggles with demand.

The news comes after statistics reveal a 15 percent increase in holidaymakers in Northern Cyprus, compared to a 30 percent drop in travellers to Southern Cyprus.  One of the reasons for this is because of the Turkish Lira which offers a better exchange rate over the Euro, which is the currency of Southern Cyprus.

The recession has hit the car hire industry, as a whole, but particularly in Cyprus, as many firms have gone out of business.  Also, car hire companies have been struggling to obtain bank loans, so many car hire companies have been unable to obtain credit to update or replace their fleet.

Pacific Rent-a-Car is presently offering customers an incentive of a 15 percent discount for early reservations as well as the peace of mind that the car hire is guaranteed, rather than arriving at the airport with no available vehicles.

Many experts are predicting a steep rise in the cost of car hire in 2010, something which has already been seen this year in Spain and Greece.  Holidaymakers planning to take advantage of car hire are strongly advised to book sooner, rather than later in order to avoid paying extortionate pricing or avoid missing out on a car altogether.