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A meeting was held today, July 25, 2024, at the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr. Kostas Koumis.
The meeting was attended by the President of the Limassol District Local Government Organisation, Mr. Mr. Yiannis Tsouloftas, the President of the LEBEL Mr. Andreas Tsouloftas, the President of the Limassol Tourism Development and Promotion Company Mr. Tonis Antoniou, the Mayor of Limassol Mr. Yiannis Armeytis, the Mayor of Kourion Mr. Pantelis Georgiou, as well as Deputy Mayors and representatives of the Limassol District Municipalities and Communities.
This is the first of a series of meetings that the Deputy Ministry of Tourism is planning to hold with local government bodies throughout Cyprus and is part of a broad effort to maintain and strengthen cooperation between them with the aim of upgrading Cyprus' tourism product.
Welcoming the attendees and thanking them for their presence, the Deputy Minister of Tourism Mr. Costas Koumis said that "Local Authorities, beyond any doubt, are by definition linked to tourism". At the same time, he referred to the responsibility of local authorities in maintaining destinations in excellent condition and that, through their action, they can contribute to the promotion of the comparative advantages of the tourist areas under their responsibility. He also stated that their participation in the effort to solve the chronic problems of tourism is expected to be decisive and expressed his personal opinion that every local government must have a tourism agenda in addition to its social agenda.
At the same time, he stressed that "tourism is a very important economic activity for every geographical area."
Mr. Koumis referred to the objectives set by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism in relation to these meetings, which concern the development of the local tourism product, the development of the infrastructure provided, the promotion of local attractions, the creation and promotion of experiences for visitors, the organization of events, as well as the wider promotion of the tourist destinations of our country. Deputy Minister made reference to the plan of the Regional Tourism Development and Promotion Companies, the need for investment and achieving digital transformation, as well as green and sustainable development around the tourism sector.
The position of the Deputy Ministry, which Mr. Koumis expressed during his greeting, is to maintain very close cooperation with the Local Authorities, as a means of combating and mitigating the weaknesses that characterize the tourism sector of our country.
In his reference to the Limassol province, he referred to the great leaps that the city has achieved in recent years in the field of tourism, describing it as a destination with a very good image.
Then, a presentation was given by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism on the role of Local Authorities in tourism development, through the findings of the Tourism Observatory, which, as Mr. Koumis said, was established last year by the Government as a tool for improving individual tourist destinations. "We thought it appropriate to share the findings with the newly elected local officials. Proper analysis of the data and its use by local authorities can only have positive results, and that is exactly what we want," he said.
Specifically, statistics were presented for Cyprus, both as a whole and at a regional level, on issues such as the distribution of tourists by place of stay - with Limassol recording a rate of 12% for 2023, the degree of satisfaction of tourists, seasonality - from which it appears that Limassol is not greatly affected, and data in relation to accommodation in tourist accommodation and occupancy.
Subsequently, information and suggestions received by the Ministry of Tourism from tourism operators were presented, while the presentation was concluded with a list of actions and activities of the Ministry of Tourism for the upgrading of tourism in various regions of the country.
The meeting was concluded with a discussion among the participants on issues related to tourism. The Deputy Ministry of Tourism provided information and answers to a number of issues and problems raised during the discussion, such as the state's contribution to local development projects and the upgrading of local infrastructure, and a constructive process of exchange of views was developed.
In his turn, the Deputy Minister of Tourism Mr. Costas Koumis expressed his satisfaction for the interest of the attendees and said that the Ministry of Tourism listens to all concerns. Finally, he noted that he is at the disposal of all stakeholders for dialogue and joint action, standing as an assistant in every effort to upgrade Cyprus' tourism product and achieve sustainable tourism development.
(KC)
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