Cypriot Tourist sector tries to upgrade its image
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Tribune 21 December 2003
Mention Cyprus to most people and the images evoked will typically be of sun, sand and sea.
They have served the country well. After 1974, when Turkey's invasion put Kyrenia and Famagusta - the two jewels of Cyprus's tourist crown - beyond reach, new resorts were built up almost from nothing.
And today they cater variously to the young and single - Agia Napa and Proteras in the southeast - and to families, notably Paphos in the southwest, making tourism Cyprus's number one industry. The sector typically contributes 20 percent of GDP and some 45 percent of foreign earnings.
This year, however, has been less than stellar: visitor numbers are down at least 5 percent to around 2.4 million, with officials variously blaming SARS, the Iraqi war, a lingering downturn in Europe and the strong Cypriot pound. An image revamp at the state-owned Cyprus Airways, which has also added two new Airbus 330s to service the vital British market (which accounts for 55 percent of visitors) has been undermined by industrial unrest and reports of indifferent service and poor in-flight catering.
Across the industry, there is a growing sense that something must change if Cyprus is to stay ahead of the tourist game.
"European travelers are much more sophisticated than in the 1970's: they demand more variety and higher standards," said Fryni Michael, director general of the Cyprus Tourist Organization. She said the focus is shifting strongly toward "enhancing the quality of the product," with the tourist organization focusing on a range of new attractions, such as sports tourism.
Conference tourism should also get a boost with the construction of a state of the art conference center in Limassol. And Larnaca and Paphos airports are to be modernized.
In November, the government unveiled a "road map" that seeks to reduce dependence on low-end package tourism by boosting the high-end sector. Special interest tourism, focusing especially on the island's historic and cultural heritage, will be emphasized.
To this end, the Cyprus Tourist Organization hopes to encourage special tours of the island's small wineries, all specializing in Cyprus's distinctive red Mavro and white Xynisteri grape types. Many of these wineries are located close to attractive villages such as Omodhos and Arsos in the scenic Troodhos mountains.
Agro-tourism is considered another growth area, not least because it also gives the declining agricultural sector an alternative source of income and helps to preserve village architecture.
"Our aim is to double tourism income by 2010 whilst reducing its share of GDP," said Yiorgos Lillikas, minister of commerce, industry and tourism.
North Cyprus, by contrast, would be lucky to see any increase in tourist numbers. Its efforts to boost tourism have been stillborn as a result of the international embargo; the huge bulk of its 500,000 annual visitors are from Turkey. Other tourists are discouraged by the absence of direct flights to the north (all visitors must fly via Turkey).
The lifting of travel restrictions between north and south does not extend to visitors from abroad. The south bans tourist visits from the north on the grounds that such visitors "illegally entered the island" while it discourages northbound visits although it does allow day visits..
Yet the north has much to commend it. The fact that gems such as Kyrenia, the ancient city of Salamis, and the remote, largely unknown Karpas Peninsula remain largely undeveloped - in part because of low demand but also because of tough development controls - only adds to their appeal.
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The village of Omodos / Cyprus
Omodos is located about 42 kilometres north-west of the city of Limassol, in the geographical region of the wine-making villages (15/08/2012)
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Zenobia diving site in Larnaka
Larnaka Bay in Cyprus is the undersea home of probably the world's best known diving site - The wreck of the Zenobia, a Swedish passenger ferry that sank on her maiden voyage in 1980. (21/06/2012)
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The Pafos / Cyprus Region
Feel the romance in the air in the land where Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, once roamed (20/03/2012)
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