The tourism exhibition "World Travel Market 2024" in London ended yesterday, which, together with the well-known tourism exhibition in Berlin "ITB", is the largest tourism exhibition in the world.
Cyprus had a large representation at the exhibition since, in addition to the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, 55 other local organizations and bodies active in the field of tourism participated in the exhibition.
The head of the Cypriot delegation was the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr. Costas Koumis, who, within the framework of the exhibition, had important contacts with airlines, travel organizers, international tourism business associations and his counterparts from Greece and Bulgaria, Mrs. Olga Kefalogianni and Mr. Evtim Miloshev.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr. Kostas Koumis, was flanked in his meetings by the Director General of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, Dr. Kostas Konstantinou, and other managers of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism.
As part of the exhibition, the Deputy Minister of Tourism also participated in a Ministerial Session on "How artificial intelligence affects the evolution of tourism".
Worthy of mention is the fact that at the Cypriot stand there was a demonstration of the preparation of Cypriot dishes with great success, in collaboration with the Cyprus Chefs Association, and cocktails based on the command, in collaboration with the Cyprus Bartenders Association.
In his statements, the Deputy Minister of Tourism stated the following:
"The British market has always been the largest tourist market for our country, as evidenced by historical statistics, with a constant share of 30%.
In 2023 it closed at 1.302.125 visitors from the United Kingdom, while for the first nine months of 2024 an increase of 4,9% is recorded.
This is a market that is very well known in our country as a tourist destination. Strong ties of cooperation have been established over the years between the tourism partners and it is undoubtedly a market that has supported the tourism of our country over time.
As we do at every opportunity, we tried to explain to the leading tourism partners that our country is moving forward as a destination, offering a wealth of quality experiences, and that it is no longer based only on the one-dimensional, but very distinct 'sun and sea' product, but offers and is competitive and in a range of other products.
Both the sports and cultural events that are now organized in our country are a pole of attraction for thousands of visitors and strengthen the tourism of our country, and now, at every such opportunity, we insist on presenting them.
At the same time, similar sectors such as agritourism have undoubtedly been established, and in fact with satisfactory performance throughout the year, a topic which we chose to present strategically, with the participation of the Cyprus Agritourism Society.
During the exhibition we took the opportunity to talk with some partners about the incentive plans that we have announced as a government with the ultimate goal of improving the tourism product and especially the plan aimed at improving the hinterland.
For the coming year, in relation to the British market, we are optimistic that we will again have a remarkable performance, despite the fact that the British economy has not overcome the shocks it is experiencing in the post-Brexit era. Inflation has definitely decreased, on the other hand, the British government's decisions a few days ago to increase taxes create a series of new data, especially for the middle class, which has been under pressure for five years.
More generally, and in relation to the markets as a whole, we are optimistic that we will experience another good tourism year, despite the fact that the challenges we have faced and are facing this year have not yet been eliminated.
I am referring primarily to aviation, a sector where there are signs of improvement, but not to the extent that those in the tourism sector would like. The well-known issue with the engines seems to be still bothering some airlines, while the manufacturing companies have not yet overcome their problems, resulting in delays in aircraft deliveries, which has the negative consequence of delaying the implementation of the flight programs they have announced or that some airlines were planning.
However, I would like to state clearly that we are moving forward as a destination and we are right to be optimistic about next year's tourism results. However, we must remain committed to the parameters of quality service and sustainable tourism development.
