Cyprus’ national tourism strategy, containing a set of predefined goals for every year until 2030, is already being implemented, Deputy Minister of Tourism, SavvasPerdios, said on Tuesday. Tourism experts noted from their part the stabilizing trends in tourist arrivals after record arrivals in the last couple of years.
Addressing the 42nd Annual Hotel Conference, organized by the Cyprus Hotels Association (CHA), in Nicosia, Perdios said, among others, that the role of the Deputy Ministry is to have horizontal competences and be able to fight for the country’s “most important sector” as tourism accounts for 20% of the GDP.
He also briefed those present about progress in implementing the goals set by the Deputy Ministry during its first year of operation. According to Perdios, there is a significant increase in tourism arrivals from Israel and an “interesting growth” in tourists from Ukraine. Next summer, there will be 35 scheduled flights from Germany to Cyprus and, as the Minister pointed out, results are expected to surpass those in 2019 and 2018.
CHA President, Harris Loizides, said he expected the tourism industry to continue its corrective course this year, after record arrivals in the previous years.
Results in 2019 were similar to those in 2018, with arrivals close to 4 mln and are up by 1%. He also noted the stabilizing trend in income from tourism, which is expected to see, however, a small reduction in comparison to 2018.
In order to reach the goal of 5 mln tourist arrivals by 2030, we need to implement a series of targeted measures, said the President of CHA, underlining, among others, the need to turn Cyprus into a year-round destination, explore new markets and improve connectivity.
EvgeniosEvgeniou, CEO of PwC Cyprus, said that despite the country’s numerous advantages in tourism, there are areas where things need to improve. He referred to the sector’s contribution to the Cyprus economy, particularly during the last couple of years, noting that it played a catalytic role in collective efforts for sustainable development.
Evgeniou called finally the national tourism strategy “a step to the right direction” and a road map in order to turn Cyprus into a sustainable tourism destination.
Perdios inaugurated later the 28th Exhibition of Products and Services.
CNA/AGK/ΤΝΕ/2020
ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY
