The distinction of the villages of Pissouri and Kalopanagioti, which were named among the 55 best tourist villages for 2024 by the World Tourism Organization, elevates the country touristically and confirms that Cyprus has a present and a future, said the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis.
In a statement from the Deputy Ministry, it is stated that the official award ceremony took place on Thursday evening (early morning Cyprus time), on the occasion of the 122nd Session of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization, in the city of Cartagena, Colombia.
Following the award, the Best Tourist Villages Network grows every year and with the announcement of its 55 new members, 254 villages are now part of the world's largest rural destination community.
"Through the global coverage and publicity that the award ceremony received from international media and the social networks of the World Tourism Organization, our country was given the opportunity to be presented once again internationally and to show a small sample of its natural landscapes, the culture, and its history", states the Deputy Ministry in its announcement.
It is added that the awarding of the two communities, like the awarding of Lefkara in 2021, is part of the efforts of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, as the official representative of the state in the World Tourism Organization.
The Deputy Ministry of Tourism invests and participates in the competition, selecting villages that have the greatest possible chance of distinction based on the competition criteria, guiding and technically supporting the selected communities in the preparation of their applications, the announcement states.
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In his statement, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis, stated that "this is an extremely important distinction for our country, and it is meant for the villages of Pissouri and Kalopanagiotis". He said that they deserve many congratulations to everyone who worked for this success: the Presidents of the Community Councils, the members of the Community Councils, the residents of the communities, who in their own way contribute to this effort, but also to his partners at the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, who "pursue these successes with methodical work and additional effort".
"Such successes undoubtedly raise our country touristically, and confirm that touristic Cyprus has a present and a future, and this was also confirmed in a conference that has its own special glamor and dynamics", said the Deputy Minister.
For the award, the application of the principles of sustainability and especially the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN were taken into account. The institution is a global initiative to highlight the villages where tourism contributes to the preservation of cultures and traditions, provides equal development opportunities and protects biodiversity.
The targeting of the Best Tourism Villages institution usually focuses on sustainability issues, and is evaluated through a set of sustainability indicators used by the World Tourism Organization in the evaluation of candidate communities, covering areas such as cultural and natural resources, the promotion and preservation of cultural resources, economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Through the application of the specific indicators in the process of evaluating communities for the competition, each community inevitably focuses on sustainable tourism development, which proves to be extremely beneficial for the whole country as a destination.
Through the institution, the villages and the country gain visibility and international recognition as outstanding examples of destinations for rural tourism, and become part of a global network of destinations – rural communities.
In addition, the network of Best Tourism Villages (BTV) offers other benefits to the villages, as a place to exchange experiences and good practices, learning and opportunities among its members, agencies and experts who focus on promoting tourism as a means for the development of countryside.
Network villages can also benefit from being included as case studies in UNWTO policy documents, guidelines, participation in rural development and other tourism-related events.
Source: KYPE
