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Foundations and Growth
The foundations of
Cyprus%26rsquo; tourism were laid in the early
sixties. Its progress had been smooth and
successful until the summer of the 1974 Turkish
invasion. All economic activity came to a
standstill and the tourist sector suffered a
devastating blow when the two highly developed
regions of Famagusta and Kyrenia fell in the
hands of the invaders. This had as a result the
loss of 13.000 beds constituting 71,7% of the
total bed capacity at the time, plus 5.000 beds
under construction and about 40% of the
island%26rsquo;s tourist facilities in
restaurants, cafes, bars and
nightclubs.
The government,
through the Cyprus
Tourism Organisation, which is a semi-government
organisation responsible for the planning,
promotion and marketing of the tourist industry,
and the island%26rsquo;s hoteliers and other
related tourist professionals, worked hard for
the reactivation of tourism in the free areas of
the Republic and the re-establishment of Cyprus
on the world tourist map. The Ministry of
Commerce, Industry and Tourism oversees the
activities of the Organisation.
Cyprus Tourism
Organisation (CTO)
Cyprus Tourism
Organisation%26rsquo;s services have been
extended over the years, and at present they
include the Head Office Services in Nicosia and
the Regional Office Services.
The Overseas
Services consist of seventeen tourist offices
maintained in London, Frankfurt, Paris,
Stockholm, Athens, Zurich, Moscow, Milan,
Amsterdam, Brussels, Vienna, New York, Tokyo,
Tel-Aviv, Budapest, Warsaw and Prague. The role
of these tourist offices is the marketing and the
promotion of Cyprus tourism, the servicing of the
trade and the provision of information to
prospective holidaymakers to Cyprus.
As a result of the
strenuous efforts exerted by the Cyprus Tourism
Organisation, the support given by the government
through various policy measures and the
entrepreneurial spirit of the Cypriot tourist
professionals, tourist traffic to Cyprus began to
increase after the Turkish invasion.
Tourism a Booming
Industry
Tourist inflow in
2000 increased by 10,35% compared to 1999
reaching 2.686.205 tourists as against 2.434.285
in 1999. In 2000 the average expenditure per
tourist increased by 8,1% compared to 1999
(C£445,67 in 2000 compared to C£412,29 in 1999)
and receipts from tourism reached C£194mln in
2000.
The tourist sector
is estimated to employ some 40.500 people
directly involved in the industry representing
13,77% of the gainfully employed population. By
the end of December 2000, the island%26rsquo;s
bed capacity was 85.303.
What attracts
holidaymakers to Cyprus in addition to the sun
and sea is the hospitality and friendship of its
people and its rich history and natural beauties.
Apart from sea-related activities the
holidaymakers can «escape» to pine clad
mountains, visit archaeological sites, including
ancient settlements, rich burial sites, beautiful
mosaics and Byzantine churches and enjoy the warm
hospitality of the locals.
One particularly
interesting factor in tourist statistics is that
a significant number of holidaymakers who come to
Cyprus are «repeat visitors», the best award a
tourist could perhaps give a holiday
destination.
Future Challenges in
Tourism Development
Strategy for Tourism
2010
However, by the
early 90%26rsquo;s it had become evident that the
rapid tourism development of the late
70%26rsquo;s and the 80%26rsquo;s was taking its
toll on the island%26rsquo;s natural resources,
natural and built environment, and on the people
themselves. Moreover, changes had started to
occur in the international tourism market, such
as the intensifying price competition in the «sun
and sea» segment that Cyprus had difficulties to
match, and the turn of the consumers towards
culture and nature. Both of the above indicate
that the tourism development model that was
applied in Cyprus in the 70%26rsquo;s and
80%26rsquo;s, and which called for developing and
marketing a «sun and sea» product, had to be
modified. It was evident that this product had to
be upgraded, enriched and diversified.
To this end, the CTO
submitted to the government for approval the
Strategy for Tourism to the year 2010, the target
of which is to increase total revenue from
tourism to C£1,8 billion (in 1998 prices) by the
year 2010. This target will be met through the
pursuance of sustainable tourism development
policies and through the repositioning of Cyprus
in the global tourist market as a destination
that offers a wide variety of interests and
activities within a very limited geographical
space. The Strategy will be based on quality,
coupled with a very modest increase in arrivals
(ca. 4% per annum). In January 2001, the Strategy
was approved by the Council of
Ministers.
Certain aspects of
the Strategy are already being put into effect.
For example, within the framework of product
differentiation, new products are currently under
development, such as agrotourism, athletic
tourism, nautical tourism and cultural
tourism.
Participation in
International Organisations
The government,
through the CTO, participates actively and makes
a constructive contribution to international
tourism organizations. It also participates in
overseas exhibitions and seminars on
tourism.
These international
events also provide the opportunity for
enlightening and informing tour operators and
travel writers on the efforts of the illegal
Turkish Cypriot administration to put into
operation Greek Cypriot hotels in the Turkish
held area of the Republic.
Major Tourist
Markets
The major share of
the tourist traffic to Cyprus originates from
Central and Northern Europe. In 1998, the United
Kingdom remained the major source of tourist
traffic followed by Germany and Central Europe.
Compared to 1999, in 2000 there was an increase
of tourist traffic from the UK, Greece, Austria,
Italy, Poland, Czech Republic and
U.S.A.
The contribution of
tourism to the country%26rsquo;s economy is of
vital importance. In 2000, total revenue reached
C£1.194 billion, which represents 21,3% of the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In addition, 40.000
jobs are directly or indirectly related to
tourism.
Prospects
During the past few
years, the importance of tourism in the economic
development of the island increased considerably.
However, the prospects of obtaining in the future
the same levels of tourist traffic depend on
various internal and external factors.
On the domestic
side, a number of problems have been created by
the rapid growth rates of tourist development.
The exogenous factors, on the other hand, have
their origin in the economic difficulties that
some of the countries or origin of the
island%26rsquo;s tourist traffic may be
facing.
In view of these
problems and in order to continue to attract
tourists from relatively high income groups, the
main goals of the official tourist policy for the
coming years are the curtailment to high rates of
growth in bed supply and the improvement,
enhancement and enrichment of the tourist
product.
Accommodation
Cyprus offers a wide
variety of holiday accommodation ranging from
modern, large and luxurious establishments to
small and simple family-run operations. Holiday
accommodation includes hotels, hotel apartments,
tourist villages, tourist villas, camping sites,
traditional houses, tourist apartments, furnished
apartments, guesthouses and youth hostels.
Accommodation in private houses is not available
in Cyprus.
Most hotels and
hotel apartments have swimming pools, tennis
courts, sports facilities, sauna, central air
conditioning, etc. The rates charged by these
establishments are approved by the Cyprus Tourism
Organisation and most hotels offer special
off-season discounts on the accommodation rates
usually during the period from the 16 November to
the 15 March, excluding the fortnight between 20
December and 6 January.
English is spoken in
all hotels; French and German are also widely
spoken. The Cyprus Hotel Guide, issued by the
CTO, includes the hotels and tourist
establishments officially registered and
classified by the CTO in accordance with the
provisions of the Hotels and Tourist
Establishments Law and Regulations.
All the
accommodation establishments are listed by
town/area, type and class, and are in
alphabetical order. Detailed information on terms
of stay, rates, discounts and facilities offered
by each hotel operation is included in the Guide,
a copy of which can be obtained, free of charge,
from any of the CTO Offices in Cyprus and
abroad.
Particular Forms of
Tourism
In the general
effort for the upgrading of tourism, great
emphasis is placed on the further development of
particular forms of tourism such as conference
tourism, winter tourism, agrotourism and special
interests tourism. Their development and
expansion can potentially alleviate the present
problem of seasonality and may be a step towards
a more rational utilisation of bed capacity,
which could lead to a balanced disbursement of
accommodation.
Conference Tourism:
Cyprus has already gained a reputation as an
international conference venue thanks to its
location, facilities, trained personnel and a
first class communications system which links the
island with the outside world. Its proximity to
the important Middle East markets makes it an
ideal regional centre too. More and more
businesses and international organisations choose
the island for their meetings.
Winter Tourism: Even
though the seasonality problem is not so acute in
Cyprus due to the long tourist season,
nevertheless special marketing efforts are
devoted towards encouraging the tourist flow
during the winter period. Cyprus is heavily
advertised as a winter destination as
Cyprus%26rsquo; mild winters of bright sunshine
offer a major attraction.
Furthermore, efforts
to attract third-age, conference tourism and
special interest tourism also contribute to the
increase of winter tourist traffic. The progress
witnessed during the past few years in this field
is remarkable and Cyprus has now been established
as a favourite winter destination in the winter
brochures of a large number of tour operators in
nearly all European markets.
Domestic Tourism:
The CTO and the Government attach great
importance to domestic tourism because it
constitutes a significant area of tourism.
Therefore, during the last years efforts towards
developing domestic tourism have intensified
still further.
Such efforts include
a number of infrastructure and development
projects, as well as improvement works of
existing facilities and projects. Hoteliers offer
attractive prices during the summer
months.
The aim of these
projects is to provide better services and
facilities for Cypriot holidaymakers and develop
domestic tourism on a traditional basis. Within
the context of this policy, the CTO continues to
extend and improve existing beaches and public
pavilions.
In addition, the
special scheme operated by the Ministry of Labour
and Social Insurance of subsidising
workers%26rsquo; summer holidays has been
successfully operating for many years. In 2000, a
total of 8.458 workers benefited from the scheme,
of which 5.482 took their holidays in the
mountain resorts and 2.976 at the seaside
resorts.
Agrotourism (Green
Cyprus): A new chapter in Cyprus tourism is the
programme for the development of
agrotourism/rural tourism in Cyprus. This
programme, as designed and launched by the Cyprus
Tourism Organisation, encourages the conversion
of traditional houses in the picturesque villages
of the hinterland for tourist use (accommodation
establishments, tavernas, restaurants, cultural
centres, handicraft centres etc).
A significant number
of traditional houses have already been converted
into accommodation establishments in accordance
with the relevant regulations and received their
classification and operation licence from the
CTO. Yet others are currently going through the
above procedure.
«The Cyprus
Agrotourism Company» a non-profit Organisation,
which draws its membership from owners of
traditional houses, has been established in 1996
to help coordinate individual marketing efforts
and incoming bookings. To this end, the Cyprus
Agrotourism Company is in the process of setting
up a Central Reservations Office with a central
reservations system and an Internet website, that
will provide the Company with the capability to
accept real-time bookings.
Furthermore, the
Cyprus Agrotourism Company has also produced two
interesting publications. The one, which is the
basic promotional tool of the agrotourism
product, is an attractive pamphlet, with general
information on the product itself. The other is a
Traditional Homes Guide, which provides detailed
descriptions of 40 such homes, combined with
information on the villages that host
them.
The general
information pamphlet is published in English and
German whereas the Guide is published in Greek,
English, German, French and Italian. Both these
publications are available free of charge from
any CTO office in Cyprus or abroad.
In all, in the face
of agrotourism, a promising sustainable tourist
product is being developed. In fact, the
potential of agrotourism in Cyprus was duly
recognised by British Airways, which presented
the Cyprus Agrotourism Programme with the
European Winner Award of the prestigious «Tourism
of Tomorrow» Awards.
Nature
Trails
Before the
technological revolution and the dominance of the
motor vehicle, paths and cart tracks made up the
main road network in Cyprus and the only link
among the villages and between the villages and
the towns.
Nowadays, the cart
tracks have virtually disappeared, with only a
few traces remaining near old bridges, while post
paths are now covered in thick vegetation. The
remaining few are used mainly for exercise,
nature study and recreation. With financial
support from the CTO, the Forestry Department has
created forty-eight paths or trails which cover a
total distance of 200 km in various parts of the
island, from Cavo Greco at the southeastern end
to Akamas in the west.
These have been
carefully designed to cover areas with rich
natural vegetation and cultural interests. They
have been constructed on gentle gradients and
are, as a rule, circular so that all groups can
use them with ease. Many of these trails have
been networked and grouped in areas.
The European Blue
Flag Campaign
Cyprus introduced
the European Blue Flag Campaign, an environmental
information and education campaign, and became a
full member of the Foundation for Environmental
Education in Europe (FEEE) in 1995.
The «Blue Flag» is
an exclusive eco-label awarded to beaches which
fulfil a number of criteria, including the
quality of the bathing water, environmental
education and information and beach area
management and safety.
In 2000 the European
Jury awarded the «European Blue Flag» to 1.949
beaches in 21 European countries including 29
beaches in Cyprus.
The successful
implementation of the Blue Flag Campaign in
Cyprus has made a positive contribution towards
the qualitative improvement of the
island%26rsquo;s beaches as well as the overall
tourism promotion of Cyprus abroad. It is
undoubtedly an important initiative within the
framework of the harmonisation effort with the
European Union acquis communautaire.
In addition, the
Campaign has made a positive impact on the
improvement of the tourist product of our coastal
areas, which are invaluable national assets and
vital components of island%26rsquo;s tourist
product. |
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