Filenews 13 December 2021
Lefkara was recently awarded by the World Tourism Organization as the best tourism village, among hundreds of entries from major countries such as China and Russia.
As the Mayor of Lefkara Sophocles Sophocleous said, "Lefkara was recently awarded by the World Tourism Organization as one of the best tourist villages in the world. The award was received with tourism director Annita Dimitriadou, in Madrid, the capital of Spain, in the framework of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization."
He added that "The Best Tourism Villages have been selected and awarded based on their actions and commitment to sustainable development. The World Tourism Organization announced a procedure for the awarding of villages around the world and Cyprus participated with several Communities including Lefkara, through the Deputy Ministry of Tourism.
According to Mr. Sofocleous "we presented a comprehensive proposal with which Cyprus claimed this global award, with our hopes being very few. However, we were surprised to learn that Lefkara is now one of the best tourist villages, with the seal of the World Tourism Organization.
In response to a relevant question, Sophocles Sophocleous said that "this award means a lot for our small Cyprus. In the presence of the Prime Minister of Spain, the Ambassador of Cyprus to Spain, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the Mayor of Lefkara, it was announced that Lefkara is awarded as one of the best tourist villages and as a sustainable tourist destination.
He also explained that "the effort was difficult and the proposal submitted by Cyprus was based on sustainability and a comprehensive proposal had to be presented which would be accepted by the World Tourism Organization".
The main element of the proposal presented, he said, "was the wealth of Lefkara in architecture, in the arts that still flourish today, namely lefkaritiko embroidery and silversmithing, the Conference Center that is perhaps the most modern that Cyprus has, the Fire Brigade, the Medical Center, the Adult Accommodation Center, and the other integrated tourist infrastructure that exists in Lefkara".
According to Mr. Sofokleous "essentially in these awards, culture, history and infrastructure were awarded, that is, the very difficult course that Lefkara has made until today. However, we believe that after our award, our responsibility is maximized because we must keep alive the legacy we received from our grandparents and pass it on to the next generations.
To another question, the Mayor replied that "we will continue the effort we started with the aim of Lefkara to continue to be high in the preference of both locals and thousands of foreign visitors".
We are a country and a municipality that live by the tourism industry and this award is an exceptional success, which we must highlight and support, he said.
Mr. Sofocleous expressed warm thanks to the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and all those who participated in this effort in order to present before the World Tourism Organization, a file that would deservedly claim the award.
"For the small Cyprus, this award is a great feat considering that many large countries participated in the process, such as China, Russia, Germany and Poland," he said.
