Lebanese journalists and travel agents in Famagusta

The Cyprus Tourism Organization in collaboration with the Famagusta Tourism Development and Promotion Company, organized with great success on Sunday 20 March at the Municipal Museum of Ayia Napa “Thalassa” Workshop for wedding tourism entitled “Weddings & Short Vacation Breaks in Cyprus” with 25 Tourists Agents΄, journalists and the Lebanese Future TV channel.

The Municipalities of Ayia Napa, Paralimni, Sotira and Deryneia and the hotels of Ayia Napa and Protaras participated. (Adams Hotel, Olympic Hotel, Tsokkos Hotels, Nissi Beach Hotel, Capo Bay Hotel, Grecian Hotels, Golden Cost Hotel, Atlantica Aeneas Hotel).

Coordinators are Officer A 'of the CTO, Antigoni Kapodistria and Mr. Lakis Avramidis, director of ETAP Famagusta.

The workshop was also attended by the Vice President of the Cyprus Tourism Organization Mr. Costas Koumis and the Mayor Sotiras Mr. George Ttakas.

As stated by the CTO Officer A, Antogoni Kapodistrias, Lebanon is an important market for Cyprus with an upward trend in the last 5 years, while Lebanon holds 9% of the arrivals for wedding tourism in our country. In 2015, compared to 2014, as stated by Ms. Kapodistrias, an increase in total arrivals of 14% was recorded, while she expressed the hope that the cooperation with the neighboring country of Lebanon will continue and strengthen in the future.

The Vice President of the CTO, Costas Koumis, stated in his statements that as far as Lebanon is concerned, it is a market in which it is "imperative" to pay attention, as it is imperative to pay attention to all neighboring markets which in previous years were not given the required importance . Mr. Koumis noted that in the last 5 years there has been an increase in incoming tourism from the Lebanese market, while in 2015 35 thousand visitors were recorded. He stressed that there are some elements that concern the specific market and need to be corrected, such as the visa process, while he also referred to the common cultural elements that connect the two peoples and that the CTO is trying to strengthen the image of Cyprus in Lebanon with advertising campaigns. Mr. Koumis also mentioned the importance of the workshop at the “Thalassa” museum in Ayia Napa with professionals from the specialized market of wedding tourism, and this event is an opportunity for the province of Famagusta and for those involved in wedding tourism to increase the numbers. their.

The Mayor of Sotira, Mr. Georgios Takkas, stated in his statements that Sotira, as a new Municipality, is interested in increasing its income through the increased number of civil marriages.

The Director of Tourism Development and Promotion of the province of Famagusta stated that the goal is to promote the province of Famagusta, which has 3 thousand weddings a year and that Lebanon could be a major market for wedding tourism. At the same time, he stated that the Famagusta Province Tourism Development and Promotion Company aims to promote weddings and other side events for tourism, beyond the "sun and sea", while noting that the free province of Famagusta promotes wedding and conference tourism, as well as sports tourism.

SotiraNews
Photos: Municipality of Ayia Napa