The Deputy Minister of Tourism's strategy for the new year, the challenges facing the tourism sector and the significant contribution of Pafos to the course of tourism were analyzed by the responsible Deputy Minister, Costas Koumis, in a meeting with local bodies in the Pafos district on Monday morning.
Mr. Koumis described 2025 as the best tourism year in the history of Cyprus, emphasizing that the main goal of the Deputy Ministry is to ensure the continuation of this success.
As he mentioned, a prerequisite for maintaining the positive course is to provide an excellent tourist experience to all visitors.
During the meeting, plans and innovations for the new year were presented, while suggestions were also submitted for addressing chronic problems.
"What is important is that the individual destinations of our country continue to operate smoothly and offer quality services. For this reason, we seek continuous communication not only with local authorities but with everyone involved in the tourism ecosystem," said Mr. Koumis.
He made particular reference to the significant contribution of the city and district of Paphos, noting that arrivals exceeded 30%, as expected, contributing decisively to the overall success of Cypriot tourism.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism pointed out that the new year brings with it new challenges, which are not limited to tourism but also have a broader character, the most important of which is climate change, which, as he said, requires collective analysis and response.
Responding to a question about possible gaps or omissions on the part of local authorities, Mr. Koumis clarified that no such issues have been identified, reiterating that ensuring the quality of the tourist services provided remains a priority.
At the same time, he mentioned that the Deputy Ministry of Tourism examines ten individual points during each visit, evaluating overall what each destination offers.
Mr. Koumis also referred to the issue of the Paphos marina, assuring that the predetermined timetable is being faithfully followed from the first day of the announcement of the new procedure. As he noted, the signing of the contracts is expected in the first months of 2027, underlining that no time has been wasted and that there is intense interest, a fact that, as he said, causes particular satisfaction.
The Mayor of Paphos, Phaedonas Phaedonos, described 2025 as a "very, very good year", noting that the current year's data send optimistic messages for the future planning of tourism in the region. As he stated in the context of his meeting with the Deputy Minister of Tourism, this course must continue with proper planning, in order to maintain and strengthen the success of recent years.
Mr. Phaedonos underlined that in his statements to the Deputy Minister of Tourism, he emphasized the need, from 2026 onwards, to shift the emphasis from quantity to quality.
"Quality is the secret to our further success, not so much quantity," he said, noting that, although minimum numbers of tourists must be ensured for reasons of sustainability of infrastructure and accommodation, it is equally important to attract quality visitors with higher per capita spending.
At the same time, the Mayor of Paphos requested the contribution and close monitoring of the Deputy Minister of Tourism in three key projects, which, as he emphasized, should begin in 2026 within the Paphos district. He continued, these are the Paphos marina, the road that will connect the tourist area with the airport, as well as the completion of the expansion of Paphos airport.
He made particular reference to the images recorded in 2025 at the airport, calling them "images of shame", with tourists forced to wait in long lines in temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius. He said that such phenomena should not be repeated.
In conclusion, Mr. Phaedonos pointed out that the Deputy Minister of Tourism must exert the necessary pressure so that 2026 becomes the year of the start of project implementation and not yet another year of maturation and planning, as has happened, according to him, in the last ten to twenty years.
Source: KYPE
