Filenews 7 January 2026 -by Dora Christodoulou
We may write about the goddess of beauty, about the city of Aphrodite, about her baths and sacred gardens, but a scientific study carried out by Neapolis University Paphos with the collaboration of tourism agencies in the province, brought to light a shocking reality: The inhabitants of the Paphos district themselves have incomplete knowledge of what concerns Aphrodite and the myth, While this mythology shows low recognition even among tourism professionals.
This is the first phase of the study that included a primary survey of all local partners and organized groups, tourism partners and foreign incoming visitors using a questionnaire.
The survey confirmed concerns that have prevailed among Paphos institutions for years, demonstrating low recognition of the myth by local professionals, as well as foreign visitors. As the study shows, the partners in general have insufficient knowledge about the myth of the goddess, while both the local partners and the state in general promote the myth to a limited or no extent, and visitors do not feel that they are in the area where the goddess of beauty was born and lived.
At the same time, there was a convergence in the views of the partners so that the myth will henceforth be a very important element of differentiation from the competition for Paphos. It was also recognized that there is a need to highlight the local, national and European dimension of the myth, the need to educate those involved in tourism about the myth of Aphrodite, to upgrade existing ones and create new infrastructures and to further invest in the promotion and use of technological and other tools to highlight the myth.
After this first stage of the study, the creation of a think tank is expected in order to discuss and collect ideas and suggestions for future projects and actions to highlight and promote the myth of the goddess Aphrodite. This will be followed, according to the planning, by the second phase of the study, which includes the creation of an action plan and a roadmap of actions for its implementation on a short, medium and long-term basis.
