Cyprus tourism authorities are shifting priorities towards sustainability and competitiveness as climate change emerges as the sector’s greatest threat, Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis said.
“The biggest challenge is to cope with the threat of climate change and its adverse impacts if measures are not taken,” Koumis told a STEK conference on sustainable tourism.
The Deputy Ministry of Tourism is implementing the five priority pillars of the European Tourism Agenda 2030, covering green transition, digital transition, building resilience, inclusion of all social groups, education support through skilling, upskilling and reskilling, and adoption of new legislative regulations, Koumis said.
The ministry has used the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, having already initiated the channelling of funds to tourism businesses and local communities expected to exceed €20m when the measure concludes, he said. “We invested in local communities, in the visitor, in people, and in business,” Koumis added.
STEK President Akis Vavlitis said sustainable tourism is no longer a choice but “the only path that ensures the resilience of our destination, the cohesion of our society and the credibility of our country internationally”, according to remarks read by STEK Secretary Sokratis Solomidis.
“Yesterday’s model, which relied on quantity, cannot answer today’s challenges,” Vavlitis said. “Sustainability is not a slogan. It is responsibility, opportunity and obligation, and it is the absolute one-way road to ensure a better tomorrow—for our place, our people and future generations.”
Travel boom predicted
Google Account Manager Thanos Papageorgiou presented data showing travel is expected to exceed 2.4bn trips by 2040, an increase of 1bn trips compared to 2019.
By 2040, just five markets will represent 42% of travellers compared to 32% in the pre-Covid-19 era, he said. Whilst India appears to show the strongest growth, traditional powers including Croatia, Spain and Italy appear to be dropping from the top 15 positions.
Some 45% of travellers worldwide head to four hot spots, Papageorgiou said, adding that the New Middle East is rapidly emerging as a top tourist destination according to Deloitte research, “including Cyprus”.
The Deloitte study, published on 12 November, identified four key tourism clusters based on future travel forecasts: the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean. These clusters are expected to attract growing numbers of travellers as the sector diversifies. Spain and Mexico are predicted to increase their popularity amongst other destinations.
The Mediterranean region is expected to remain a major draw for tourists due to existing popularity and development. Southeast Asia is expected to become a significant area for tourism development, attracting large numbers of new tourists. The Middle East represents a new and emerging cluster of destinations predicted to develop faster than Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The Caribbean is also predicted to see increased tourist arrivals as part of broader travel destination diversification.
Bank funding
Eurobank representatives expressed the bank’s readiness to finance “sustainable proposals that improve businesses and product quality”, noting that banks will play a decisive role in supporting the hospitality industry in coming years.
Maria Kouroupi of Hermes Airports referred to the EU trend towards imposing more tax burdens on air transport, increasing travel costs.
Former European Investment Bank vice president Kyriakos Kakouris said that in a €150m bank programme channelled to the Cypriot economy, 35% went to the tourism sector.
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