Cyprus Aims for Year-Round Sustainable Tourism
On February 11, 2025, the Association of Cyprus Tourist Enterprises (Stek) held its annual general assembly, where President Akis Vavlitis outlined a strategic vision to transform Cyprus into a high-quality, year-round tourist destination. This initiative emphasizes sustainability, environmental friendliness, and economic growth.
Despite geopolitical challenges, Cyprus achieved a record 4.04 million visitors in 2024, with tourism revenue reaching €3.2 billion, contributing approximately 13% to the nation's GDP. However, Vavlitis highlighted that around 35% of these visitors did not stay in licensed hotel accommodations, opting instead for unregistered or short-term rental properties, or visiting the Turkish-occupied north. Additionally, the average length of stay decreased from 10.7 days in 2014 to 8.6 days in 2024.
To address these challenges, Vavlitis proposed targeted strategies to attract higher-quality tourists from markets such as Saudi Arabia and India, aiming to diversify source markets and reduce risks associated with over-reliance on specific regions. He also emphasized the need to tackle tourism seasonality, noting that winter months currently attract only 16% of total visitors and generate 12% of tourism revenue. A proposed study, in collaboration with industry stakeholders, aims to identify and develop winter tourism products tailored to specific visitor segments. Labor shortages in the tourism sector were also addressed, with Vavlitis highlighting the importance of hiring workers from third countries to fill staffing gaps. He cited the government's recent move to digitize the hiring process for foreign workers, aiming to streamline procedures and reduce bureaucratic delays.Furthermore, Vavlitis called for urgent measures to support the creation of energy communities and the implementation of carbon emission reduction plans for businesses. He advocated for large energy consumers, such as hotels, to be allowed to produce and consume green energy, addressing infrastructural challenges, including the insufficient energy distribution network to accommodate renewable energy sources in the hospitality sector.The assembly concluded with a commitment to promoting sustainable tourism practices as an absolute priority for the industry, aligning with Stek's long-standing belief that "quality tourism is the only way forward." This strategic direction aims to enhance Cyprus's competitiveness in the global tourism market while ensuring long-term environmental and economic sustainability.
Market Cyprus - News Service
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