A flexible emergency action plan for tourism for 2020, which has the ability to postpone its implementation schedules according to developments on the coronavirus front and which has as its first scenario that Cyprus will receive its first tourists in July, has been set up by the Ministry of Tourism, according to Deputy Minister Savvas Perdios.
At the same time, Mr. Perdios mentions in an interview that an audiovisual campaign has already started, mainly abroad, and that after Easter a cycle of contacts with airlines and tour operators will begin, while in April and May a grant will be given to cultural institutions and plans will be prepared. digital training of tourism industry staff and that the strengthening of domestic tourism will begin in June.
At the same time, he emphasizes that the new national tourism strategy and the need to make the required changes in the tourism product of Cyprus is now the only way "if we want to achieve any partial recovery of tourism in 2021". He notes that for this year, at best, a reduction in arrivals by at least 60% or by 1,5 million is expected, while a recovery is expected in the next two or three years.
"If for any reason we do not manage to receive our first visitors in July and they come for example in August or September, the timetables of our action plan will be moved accordingly," said Mr. Perdios.
He said that the emergency action plan for 2020 has already been informed by the tourism operators, which will operate only under the condition, as he stressed, "that in July everything is going well and we will be able to receive our first visitors timidly".
"Under this condition, our main advertising campaign both at home and abroad is intended for the end of May and throughout June," he said, adding that to this end, there will be a digital advertising campaign abroad and a digital and print campaign in Cyprus ”.
He also said that the developments on the coronavirus front "will not change what we will do but when we will do it", noting that in case things get much worse then some actions will be left out ".
One way is the new national tourism strategy
Regarding the national tourism strategy, Mr. Perdios said that the position of the Ministry of State was that special forms of tourism need to be differentiated in nationalities and ages and added that this position of the Ministry of State is being verified "sooner than we expected".
"If until the end of February the new national tourism strategy was our choice, now it is a one-way street", he underlined and noted that due to the reduction of the tourist flow to Cyprus in the next two years it is necessary to expand our horizons to what is integrated in the national strategy for tourism and for everyone to think in their field how we change our product in order to expand our markets and our targeting ”.
"A big change that will take place at least in the next two years is that the visitor will be more selective and reluctant to go to destinations that have been hit by the crowds and crowds, and we will have to change the way we work," he said.
For 2021, Mr. Perdios stressed that "if we want to achieve any partial recovery of tourism, we must all have already made the necessary changes in our tourism product so that we can attract people of different ages and nationalities and for different special forms of tourism ”.
Actions of the emergency plan for tourism
Referring more specifically to the actions of the emergency plan for tourism, Mr. Perdikos told KYPE that the State Department started in March and continues this month a light audiovisual campaign mainly abroad with the hashtag #staysafe and #betterdays arecoming which aims, as he said, to keep Cyprus in the minds of travelers through various messages of hope and support for the difficult times we are going through ".
He also said that it has not yet been decided which markets we will target, something that will be decided at the last minute.
Mr. Perdios said that after Easter a cycle of contacts with airlines and travel organizers will begin to see how they are oriented, something that will show and in which markets we will target.
"We know how we will attract these markets and how we will advertise, but what these markets are and how much will be spent on advertising campaigns will depend on our consultation with airlines and tour operators, but also on the situation. after the pandemic and whether this market is free of the virus.
During the two months of April and May, according to the Deputy Minister of Tourism, there is a plan for a grant to cultural institutions and associations in order to convert their material into digital form (THOC, Symphony Orchestra, Museums, galleries, etc.) in order to promote cultural tourism in a different way.
He also said that in the same two months, digital training plans are being prepared for the staff working in the tourism industry, with the aim of improving the services provided.
He also said that at the end of June a Cypriot breakfast week is planned, which will start with a special event in Lefkara and which includes a digital campaign to encourage the public to participate with Cypriot breakfast recipes from home, as well as competitions during which the official dishes that will reflect the Cypriot breakfast as we imagine it in both traditional and modern form.
This week aims to enhance the sense of pride that Cypriots have for the Cypriot breakfast, while this product will become an integral part of what Cyprus now offers to the visitor, he added.
In addition, the Undersecretary said that in the heart of Summer we will proceed with extraordinary advertising actions with travel organizers and airlines through the additional fund for tourism, which was taken as an emergency measure by the Ministry of Finance.
The reason for this, he continued, "is to make sure that from the countries from which there will be flights to them there will be a corresponding advertising campaign, which will create demand for the product of Cyprus".
Domestic tourism
In addition, Mr. Perdios said that throughout the current year, starting in June - meaning that trafficking will be allowed - we will also have a plan to strengthen social tourism aimed at retirees, people with mobility difficulties and the needy families in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance.
He also mentioned that the plan of organized excursions in various areas of Cyprus starts in June, but also the resumption of the sponsorship plan of short getaways (2-3 days), adding Famagusta.News that the aim of these incentives is to strengthen domestic tourism and traffic in all areas of Cyprus, including mountainous, rural and remote areas ".
He also said that since June we are greatly strengthening the incentives we give for sports, training, culture and conference tourism, adding that such incentives "started in previous years in October but due to the current situation we are expanding them and they start earlier and specifically from June ”.
"We want to boost special forms of tourism and thus expand our incentive schemes," he said.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism also said that an effort will be made to bring journalists from abroad to get to know Cyprus in July and August, while at the end of September we will hold an international street food festival in Kathikas lasting 3-4 days with the aim, as he said, "to to enrich the gastronomic product of Cyprus and to strengthen the tourist flow to the mountains and the countryside both through inbound tourism and through domestic tourism ”.
He also said that in October an exhibition will be organized for specialized travel organizers who have not returned to Cyprus through which it will be possible to meet with Cypriot tourism companies in order to promote the winter product of Cyprus and the special forms of tourism.
The second goal is due to the fact that many exhibitions have been canceled and many Cypriot companies will not be able to participate. We want through this exhibition to be given the opportunity to meet in Cyprus with travel organizers abroad.
Finally, in relation to December 2020, Mr. Perdios told KYPE that a mountain Christmas festival will be organized which will take place in various mountainous and rural communities, noting that this concerns the additional one million euros received by the State Department. Tourism as an emergency measure for tourism.
"Essentially we want to make a village like the ones we see in different countries in which different mountain communities will collaborate offering events, Famagusta.News such as excursions, dance, gastronomy, culture, theater and exercise, so that it is a pole of attraction both for interior as well as for foreign tourism ", he mentioned and noted that the State Ministry is already discussing with various communities with the involvement of the Commissioner of Mountain Communities.
Famagusta.News / KYPE