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- Ελληνικά
Deputy Minister of Tourism Costas Koumis participated in the "Mediterranean Tourism Forum Minister's Summit" which concluded last night in Valletta, Malta.
The "Mediterranean Tourism Forum Minister's Summit" aims to address the challenges faced by the Mediterranean countries in relation to tourism.
As planned, the discussion focused on the issues of digital transformation and sustainable tourism development. The participants acknowledged the contribution of digital transformation to increasing tourism growth, while recognizing the need for cooperation to address any challenges related to this issue.
With regard to climate change, the challenges arising from it and sustainable tourism development, the participants agreed that no country alone can deal with the negative consequences of climate change and therefore an integrated planning is needed, which requires the cooperation of all countries. They agreed that any tourism development should now belong to the framework of sustainability, respecting the need for environmental protection and responsible management of natural resources.
In statements before the opening and after the end of the conference, the Deputy Minister of Tourism Mr. Costas Koumis said the following. Let us not forget that experts claim that the temperature increase in our region, the Mediterranean region, is changing 20% faster than in other regions of the planet. This, combined unfortunately with the tragic events we experienced in various Mediterranean countries this summer, fortunately not in Cyprus, demonstrates that we need to act immediately, collectively and in a coordinated manner."
First of all, Mr. Koumis stressed, "We need to develop integrated policies, which should be integrated into broader sustainable development strategies. In this regard, it is imperative that we have climate change adaptation plans that are realistic and achievable. In our efforts, it is important to promote cooperation, to involve as many stakeholders as possible and to invest in public awareness and education.
As tourist destinations, all Mediterranean countries, I believe that we should exhaust every possible avenue in order to raise the awareness of every person working or connected to the tourism industry. We should certainly develop common policies and actions. The implementation of policies that link tourism development with the principles of sustainability is now becoming an imperative, and I certainly consider the provision of incentives for the development or adoption of environmentally friendly infrastructure to be a step in the right direction, an action that we as the Deputy Ministry of Tourism of Cyprus are implementing."
In relation to the subject of digital transformation, the Deputy Minister of Tourism stated: "It is widely known that digital transformation is one of the top priorities of the European Union (EU). It is also known that the digital transition is undoubtedly beneficial for society and for each individual country. Digital transformation works beneficially to provide benefits of a social, environmental and administrative nature. The proper use of smart technologies is known to reduce production costs, improve efficiency and, most importantly, can act as the key to success for sustainable development. I believe that each country individually, but also all together, must invest further in both the digital and green transition."
It is noteworthy that in the context of the conference, the Deputy Minister of Tourism presented a very specific proposal that was welcomed by all participants. The proposal concerns the need for the Mediterranean countries, especially the European countries, to cooperate in order to extend the tourist season, which would be beneficial to the efforts made by most countries to prevent over-tourism during the summer season. It should be noted that both temporal and spatial expansion are considered to be actions that can indirectly contribute positively to sustainable development.
In his statement at the conference, the Deputy Minister of Tourism said the following.
"It is well known that most Mediterranean countries, as tourist destinations, are plagued by the problem of seasonality. This is due to the fact that the majority of destinations are classified as sun and sea destinations. All destinations without exception have been making efforts for years to mitigate this phenomenon without much success.
I believe that an initiative on the part of the EU to develop social tourism, provided that European citizens on the basis of income criteria are given the opportunity to visit other European countries in periods of low demand, or even to Mediterranean countries not included in the European continent in a second phase, would help in this direction.
I believe that such a practice would be beneficial first of all for the European citizens themselves and for the European construction in terms of strengthening the European consciousness and it would certainly be beneficial for the destinations in terms of extending the tourist season with side benefits and for the environment in the sense that such a practice could help to relieve congestion in certain periods of time.
It is stressed that the delegates expressed their intention to support the proposal but also their strong willingness to discuss the issue further.
(PM)
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