Perdios refered to the new trends and preferences of tourists, which include forms that focus on avoiding crowds, interest in the natural environment, the combination of work and vacation, and experiences related to the local community, etc.
Perdios explained that these trends are aligned with the National Tourism Strategy 2030, which had foreseen the need to invest in the upgrade and enrichment of the tourism product.
Focus on mountainous development, various grant plans, product labels, boost in digital marketing, development of special tourism forms, and the Heartland of Legends route, are some of the actions that the Deputy Ministry of Tourism will invest in.
Perdios emphasised that the primary focus has been on rural tourism integration with special focus on a green and digital transition to support local communities. Ultimately, the Ministry wants to put tourism at the heart of the rural communities, by creating a social framework that will reduce inequalities, encourage female entrepreneurship, reduce young persons’ unemployment, support SMEs like farmers and handicrafts people, embrace hyper-local products, push innovation through e-commerce, stem depopulation and create a level playing field of social opportunity within the destination.
In addition, Perdios pointed out that a lot of infrastructure improvements have been undertaken, especially with regards to special interest tourism:
- Cruise homeports and marina yachting facilities
- Integrated casino resort
- Villages and small towns – The village of Pano Lefkara has just been voted as one of the Best Tourism Villages in the world by UNWTO
- Golf courses – Cyprus is staging the DP World Golf Tour (formerly European Tour) in ‘22-’24
- Forest shelters for backpackers
- Diving centres – Europe’s first underwater forest has been created in Cyprus (MUSAN)
- Biking and hiking facilities – Cyprus is staging L’Etape by Tour de France cycling tournament in ‘22-’24
- Upgraded beach facilities
- Wineries and tasting areas – Cyprus has staged the European Sommelier Competition in 2021
- Accessible cultural and religious sites
Finally, the Ministry as has added 12 new product labels which will significantly enhance the offering.
The label ‘Theme Parks of Cyprus’ aims at establishing the basic characteristics of a contemporary theme park, as well as, at ensuring the quality of services provided. Through the introduction of the label we strive to propel the sustainable growth of this particular product segment, through the implementation of a minimum set of quality standards.
The Islands’ Theme Parks are developments whose architecture, design, activities and shows are based on thematic axes. Moreover, they have environmental credentials and are intended for the entertainment and education of the public.
