Filenews 22 May 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
The specialization of the tourism product in Paphos was the result of the pandemic, the economic pressures and the search for new markets as well as new methods of ensuring tourism as a key economic element, regardless of external factors. Wanting to avoid as much as possible in the future the painful consequences of unforeseen and sudden events, the tourist, business, social and other bodies of Pafos have turned to studies and applications of measures that will contribute so that Pafos can simply stop the hunt for numbers in tourist arrivals and emerge as a destination of a higher level and above external influences. This effort, which is underway, has a name: Brand name.
With the cooperation of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, a series of specialized actions and promotion of high cost and reward projects, are launching the establishment of the name "Pafos" as an internationally recognized "brand name". This particular design had been first discussed in the province several years ago, but it languished due to the economic crisis and the abandonment of all the ambitious development plans due to the sudden invasion of the coronavirus in our lives. Today, it is returning to the forefront, which is why the efforts of local groups to achieve the great goal have been intensively resumed in recent times.
The establishment of the province as a quality stable in the fields of economy, development, trade and tourism, is intended to be linked primarily with the promotion of the major marina project, since the local authorities consider that it is the only pending or planned project that is directly linked to the qualitative change that presupposes the establishment of Paphos as a "brand name".
That is why members of the economic life of the province stress today that, at the current time, which consortium will eventually promote the construction, is now inconsequential.
"For this reason, the Pafos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as other stakeholders of the province, point out the President of the Chamber George May, have been acting as intermediaries for months to proceed immediately with the construction of the marina, through the new approach of the combined development of the marina and the anchorage". The effort to promote Pafos as a destination above and outside the mass context of tourist flows is now taking on an even more important dimension, he stresses, given that local businesses have realized that the new trends recorded internationally in air transport and in the interconnection of mass holidays with external factors, such as regional conflicts, political developments, such as Brexit, or the padlocks of European airlines, constantly jeopardise the continuation of the successful course of tourism of this kind.
An important aspect of this effort is the reintroduction of Pafos as the number one choice for European holidaymakers, stresses Andreas Dimitriadis. In this context, he points out, the tourist agencies of Pafos undertook, in the last few years, the efforts to promote the province as a mass-tourist destination as was the case in previous decades.
"The effort to transform Pafos into a brand name in the tourism sector is being significantly assisted, following the establishment, in recent years, of Paphos International Airport as an important gateway for tourist flows to the province," he says. "As is well known, more and more new airlines from European countries are including the airport of our province in their flight schedule. This fact gives the necessary impetus for advertising and establishment through other actions of Pafos in the international arena as a destination of higher economic level".
However, the lack of a common identity and a common strategy does not concern only the Pafos district. It was a factor that has always troubled the tourist operators of the island, which is why recently the Deputy Ministry of Tourism launched a tender for the promotion of the northwestern part of Cyprus as an internationally recognized brand name.
Essentially, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism seeks to promote tourism in areas that have not been developed so far - from Pomos, Neo Chorio and Polis Chrysochous with the villages of Androlykos, Kathikas, Kritou Terra and other beautiful, but remote areas of the hinterland.
The aim of the Deputy Ministry is to bring together all small communities under an umbrella that will have a single brand name, with which it will be established and will attract the external tourism markets. As mentioned in the relevant documents, the area needs a separate name in order to be promoted in its entirety from Stroumbi, Kathikas, Inia, Akamas and Pyrgos. There are already unofficially suggestions such as promoting this part of the island as the "Cypriot Riviera", or "Riviera of Aphrodite", or "Riviera of Akamas".
Today, each community is mostly promoted individually from the very beginning. As estimated by the Deputy Ministry, with the promotion of the hidden treasures of the region, the offered product will be upgraded and the tourist flow in the communities of Akamas will be increased and thus will create conditions for development in the region. The area can benefit from eco-tourism, agrotourism and health and wellness tourism. The acquisition of a declarative identity of an area that will differentiate and highlight it, is recognized today as a necessary condition even by individual local authorities of the Pafos district.
The most characteristic is the effort of the communities and other organizations of the Ezousa valley to be promoted inside and outside Cyprus as a unique ecosystem. The effort concerns the communities of Agia Varvara, Episkopi, Avyllos, Eledio, Amargeti, Lemona, Houlou, Kourdaka, Letymbou, Kallepeia and Tsada, the boundaries of which define the Valley of Ezousa, as well as the luxurious tourist resort of the valley, Minthis. Speaking to "F", the president of the Association of Friends of the Environmental Centre of Episkopi, Christakis Christodoulou, stressed that the promotion and development of the communities will take place through joint actions and the implementation of projects with absolute respect for the natural environment and the environmental value of the Valley of Ezousa.
"Such actions," he clarified, "may be the creation of cycling routes, the network of touring trails, the creation of a common website, the preparation of a photo album and CD-ROM, the circulation of posters and thematic maps and the preparation of a short documentary about the valley, the communities and the tourist resorts that compose it."
Mr. Christodoulou also mentioned that in the context of improving the image of the area, traditional watermills, bridges and other historical points will be restored, an effort will be made to promote the religious value of the area and ecotourism.
Identity, reputation and image
The Pafos Chamber, emphasizing on the direct relationship between the reputation and image of an area and its attractiveness as a destination, as a place of residence, investment, studies, considers that the elaboration of a marketing strategy for the branding of the Pafos district should proceed immediately. In this context, explains Mr. May, the strategy will aim to bridge the gap between what Paphos really is (identity), how it is perceived by foreigners (image) and how Pafos itself wishes to be perceived abroad (desired image or reputation).
"With a branding strategy we will focus on highlighting the 'true identity' of Paphos, which is the sum of its unique characteristics and culture," he says. "Upon its completion, it is expected that a collective concept for the Pafos region will have been built, which will, as a result, further increase the attractiveness of the area as a tourist destination or a place of residence or a place of business establishment, to ensure that expectations with experiential experience correspond to those who know the area under any of the above qualities, to create synergies that act as a multiplier for the overall development and employment of the region and in the sectors that make up its current and future productive potential".
The Pafos Chamber believes that the Pafos branding is everyone's business and will promote its implementation by mobilizing all the organized bodies of the province, he concluded.
