Specific proposals for strengthening and upgrading domestic tourism, so as to support the tourism industry and provide economic respite, will be submitted by AKEL to the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and all relevant services, the party's General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou said today.
In statements following a meeting with tourism operators held at the "Thalassa" Museum in Ayia Napa, Mr Stefanou said that today "the cycle of contacts and meetings with tourism operators is completed".
He added that meetings were held in all provinces "with tourism stakeholders to discuss the problems and specific proposals that AKEL has formulated in relation to addressing, as far as possible, the problems faced by the tourism industry against the background of the situation as it is developing in Ukraine and the fact that both Russia and Ukraine are very important countries for Cyprus and in the tourism sector".
The free Famagusta region, Stefanou noted, "has received, from a tourism point of view, a strong blow from the pandemic and at the same time it is also receiving a strong blow from the fact that this year we are not expected to have Russian and Ukrainian tourists, who are one of the main parts of the tourism industry in the free Famagusta region".
After stating that "we need to discuss how to deal with this situation", he noted that AKEL's proposals "are based on two main axes. The first is the rapid, very specific intervention of the state so that by seeking new markets or strengthening existing markets, we can bring in a greater number of tourists and be able, at least in part, to make up for the loss we will have."
As regards the second axis, he said that "we have specific proposals for strengthening and upgrading domestic tourism. Domestic tourism provided good and effective solutions during the pandemic period," he said, adding that "we believe that even now, through strengthening, expanding, upgrading and creating new domestic tourism programmes, we can help the tourism industry to survive, so we will see how things shape up with the war situation."
We will discuss, he continued, "these proposals and thoughts with the tourism stakeholders, we will complete our proposals and we will have a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Tourism and other relevant services, so that just through the discussion, the best possible solutions can be found but with speed, because we are at the beginning of the season and we must not waste time."
Asked whether the free province of Famagusta, which was hit harder by the war in Ukraine, should be treated differently from the other provinces of Cyprus, the AKEL Secretary General replied that "first of all, speed is needed. We will convey our proposals, which are very specific, especially those that have to do with domestic tourism, concerning the Leave Fund, but which covers only a part of the workers."
Our view, he noted, "is that the state should prepare plans and funds to cover the workers who are outside the Fund in a targeted way, helping mainly those groups of the population who do not have the financial means to be able to take leave. By utilizing domestic tourism, giving opportunities, incentives and means for Cypriots to be able to do tourism in Cyprus, we can support the tourism industry and provide necessary economic respite," he concluded.
Source: CNA
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