Filenews 20 September 2021 - by Adamos Adamou
The continuation of the Domestic Tourism Support Plan and the subsidy of the overnight stays of the residents of Cyprus in tourist accommodations of the place after November should be considered as a given. Specifically, the plan is expected to be extended beyond November and will be valid throughout the winter, possibly until spring.
Speaking to "F", the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Savvas Perdios, confirmed that this is the goal, noting, however, that no final decisions have yet been taken. "The aim is to continue the domestic tourism support program, but the whole framework has not yet been agreed, nor has the proposal yet been submitted to the Council of Ministers. But we want to expand it because it helped in many ways", Mr. Perdios said, recording the benefits that have existed so far, such as the opportunity given to our fellow citizens to vacation in the country at low prices, in a difficult period for tourism due to the pandemic.
He also said that entrepreneurs, whether they are hoteliers or restaurateurs, now admit that the plan has helped to increase the traffic in their businesses. "Therefore, if we succeed in expanding the plan, we believe that it will be easier for many businesses to stay open in the winter and this by extension helps both incoming tourism", as well as the long-term goal of extending the tourist season.
As the Secretary of State explained, always a visitor from abroad, especially in winter, before proceeding with any reservation for travel asks two questions: "If there are flights to the destination he chooses and open hotels. In addition, he is looking for what activities he can do at the destination, for which there has been a lot of preparatory work and tangible results in the context of the implementation of the National Tourism Strategy", noting that this week the Deputy Ministry will also launch the Authentic Experience Route.
Mr. Perdios added that positive steps have also been taken in the field of the country's connectivity, so the last part of the link is to manage to have more businesses open in the winter. In this context, he said, we want there to be an extension of the Domestic Tourism Support Plan that will help greatly in this direction, as shown in practice by the implementation so far of the plan which currently expires in November. We recall that today the plan provides for the coverage of 35% of the cost of accommodation in tourist accommodation that offer a maximum price of up to 60 euros for a double room in the evening with breakfast, with the obligation of the beneficiaries to stay overnight for two nights.