The Ministry of Tourism subsidizes 75% of the costs for upgrading infrastructure on beaches and changing table seats in restaurants, Deputy Minister Savvas Perdios said on Wednesday afternoon.
Welcoming the installation ceremony at the beach of Agia Triada in Protaras, of the sea turtle "KALYPSO" created from plastic waste, Mr. Perdios said that "the symbolism of the project has two aspects: the first is that we have taken a material which it causes damage, not only to our seas but also to the environment in general and we have modified it to make it so beautiful. It is something that we should all, where we can use this practice, whether it concerns the decoration of some spaces or the creation of works such as 'COVER' ".
The second symbolism of the project, he continued, concerns the waters of Cyprus, which as he said "are the cleanest waters in Europe. "As citizens of this country we take for granted what is easily given to us, the symbolism here is that we should not take anything for granted," he said, noting that "clean water is very important for visitors, locals and abroad and we must try, as much as anyone can, to keep them clean, both for us and for the environment and our country but also for the visitors ".
Mr. Perdios also stated that "the Ministry of Tourism has great environmental sensitivity and this is shown by the fact that the entire implementation of the national tourism strategy is under the supervision not only of a strategic plan but also of the environmental impact study which has begun this year and will be delivered in a few months. As the Ministry of Tourism, we do not want to take actions that for any reason will be negative for the environment ".
Savvas Perdios also said that "the Ministry of Tourism subsidizes 75% of the costs for upgrading infrastructure on beaches under the Beach Upgrade Plan. We certainly do not subsidize the cost for the purchase of plastic chairs, beds and umbrellas and the whole upgrade will be with natural materials "he said and noted that" the State Department subsidizes 75% of the cost for changing tables in restaurants and we do not subsidize those who want to buy plastic chairs and tables ".
He continued "it is the practical way through which the State Department wants to give this stigma in its own way" and assured everyone that "we are interested in the subject and we will continue to support it".
In his own greeting, the Mayor of Paralimni, Theodoros Pyrillis, stated that tonight the sea turtle with the name "KALYPSO" was placed on the beach of Agia Triada in Paralimni, which was created from plastic waste, collected disposable in the coastal areas of the free province of Famagusta.
He added that "the work was inspired and constructed by the artist Vangelis Evangelou, co-financed by the" Keep our Sand and Sea Plastic Free "Program and the Ministry of Tourism, while the seabed cleaning campaigns were carried out on the initiative of DIXAN under the environmental program Depth "by GPM-Henkel.
At the same time, he expressed "warm congratulations to all those who participated in beach and seabed cleaning campaigns so that, on the one hand, their cleaning is performed, on the other hand, the plastics are collected and given to the creator of the project. Special mention is needed by Vangelis Evangelou for his valuable voluntary contribution creating the work of art "KALYPSO".
Panagiota Koutsofta, Coordinator of the project "Keep our Sand and Sea Plastic Free" said that the project "COVER" is an initiative of the TUI Care Foundation, in collaboration with the Travel Foundation and the Cyprus Association for Sustainable Tourism (CSTI), with the aim of elimination of disposable plastics in the coastal areas - starting from Ayia Napa, Protaras and the wider area of the Province of Famagusta - with special emphasis on the tourism industry ".
The goal continued "is the province of Famagusta to become the shining example for the reduction of disposable plastics and to become a source of inspiration both for the other coastal cities of Cyprus, but also globally since the campaign is promoted abroad through the TUI network Care Foundation. The project is completed in March 2022 and so far has managed to actively involve more than 100 partners such as hotels, bars and restaurants in the area who have taken active action to reduce the consumption of disposable plastics in their businesses.
He added that "so far more than 1500 students have participated in the Project's educational programs who were not only informed and sensitized about the problem of plastic pollution and how it affects even human health, but were so willing to accept the change, giving us hope for the future".
Filippos Drousiotis, President of the Cyprus Association for Sustainable Tourism (CSTI) stated that the goal of the "Keep Our Sand and Sea Plastic Free" program is "the elimination of disposable plastics from coastal areas - starting from Ayia Napa, Protaras and wider area of the Province of Famagusta - with special emphasis on the tourism industry and the reduction of plastic pollution of our seas ".
He added that "plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time and tourism can play an important role in trying to solve the problem but vice versa and strengthen it. "The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative aims to correct, support and enhance the action of tourism stakeholders in the fight against plastic pollution."
In his greeting, Mr. Drousiotis also referred to the coronavirus pandemic and said that "the Covid-19 is the occasion to reconsider the resumption of tourism in Cyprus. Its global treatment Covid-19 "We recognize that the coronavirus pandemic required health and safety measures, but we must not let one catastrophe lead to another, since in all conditions, the best solutions for all sectors must be selected ".
In her greeting, Kyriaki Savva, Senior Brand and Trade Manager, Laundry Care CY, GPM-Henkel, said, among other things, that way for such a great purpose. "Last year we started Dixan's environmental program 'Clean in Deep' with chain actions that start from cleaning the seabed and continue in society, education and science."
He added that "during the first year of the program, hundreds of kilos of waste have been retrieved from the bottom of the Cypriot seas and we continue with even more zeal and dedication because our mission is to create a cleaner world. Our goal is to inspire and mobilize young and old in environmental issues and at the same time to promote the concept of individual responsibility ".