Cyprus aims to be among the 30 most competitive tourist destinations

Cyprus aims to be among the 30 most competitive tourist destinations, up from the 44th place, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Savvas Perdios, said on Tuesday, while unveiling the five pillars of the 2030 National Tourism Strategy.

Speaking on the occasion of one year since the Deputy Ministry’s establishment, Perdios said that the ultimate goal is to bring back the culture of the friendly, island-style hospitality in a way that also enriches our society’s standard of living.

The strategy’s five pillars also aim at increasing overnight stays by 32%, and aspires to see arrivals rise to 5 mln, while increasing per capita spending from €75 to €90. The Deputy Ministry also hopes to secure €1.5 mln additional revenue from tourism.

Other pillars aim to tackle seasonality, spread the benefits from tourism throughout the island and not just in coastal areas, and enhance environmental protection. “Climate change is not optional, it is being imposed. We have a long way to go in order to prove that we care about the environment by coordinating all our services” Perdios said.

The Deputy Minister also noted that 2019 was a successful year for tourism, despite the various difficulties. Perdios called the collapse of Thomas Cook as the biggest crisis tourism faced in the last decade.

Moreover, he listed the problems Cyprus encountered with its traditional markets, saying that it was an obligation to open new markets and attract the interest from various nationalities and age groups, while upgrading certain forms of tourism. In 2019, the focus was on Gulf and Middle Eastern countries while this year’s efforts will concentrate on Belgium, France and the Scandinavian countries, Perdios said.