development, hence the sector’s quest to look behind the numbers and unearth the far-reaching impact of the industry.

“We are all aware that tourism can have a profound impact on holiday destinations. We know that tourism will bring economic and fiscal benefits in the form of profits, jobs and tax revenues, and it will affect the host communities’ way of life and the  environment in ways which can be both positive and negative,” commented Salli Felton, CEO, The Travel Foundation.

The independent charity has teamed up with PwC Cyprus to measure, value and compare the widespread consequences of tourism. Prepared with the assistance of TUI Group, the groundbreaking study takes the traditional approach of the classical input-output reports further to provide a holistic view and shed light on social, environmental, tax and economic dimensions in a bid to see the bigger picture.

As Evgenios Evgeniou, CEO, PwC Cyprus, explained, the firm applied the total impact measurement and management technique to provide a balanced evaluation that assesses direct, indirect as well as induced consequences pertaining TUI Group’s activities in relation to eight hotels and 60,000 customers in Cyprus in 2013.

“Tourism has long been one of the main pillars of economy; it has a significant contribution to the national GDP as well as employment. […] Therefore, I encourage all industry stakeholders to examine this pilot study and see what has to be done,” stated Evgeniou, calling on the island’s tourism professionals.