TOURISM - IT WAS HIT BY SCAREMONGERING AND EXAGGERATIONS - HOW THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO MANAGE THE DAMAGE - Filenews 12/3 by Angelos Angelodimou
The public and private sector of our country is undertaking a safari to inform all our partners abroad who are related to tourism, in an effort to restore the image of Cyprus after the start of the war conflicts in the Middle East.
The involvement of our country's name in the military conflicts, after the drone hit of the British bases in Akrotiri and the descent of frigates from European countries, created a feeling of concern and insecurity for our island as a tourist destination, as a result, as we are informed, that there were cancellations of bookings for the period March – April, but even more worrying, to record cancellations for the summer season as well. This, combined with the relatively reduced flow of bookings for the summer months, alerted the tourism authorities.
Yesterday, the President of the Republic convened an emergency meeting at the Presidential Palace with the ministers directly involved and professional organizations, in order to review the situation and take measures.
As we are informed, what was deemed immediately necessary is to launch an information campaign for all those involved in the tourism industry, both in Cyprus, but primarily abroad, in order to give the real dimension of the events and restore the image of Cyprus internationally. This presupposes the cooperation of the public and private sectors, which means that both the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the professionals of the sector, i.e. hoteliers, tour operators, will take part in this effort, while it is possible that modern ways of promotion and advertising, such as social media, will also be used, with the aim of passing the message that Cyprus remains a safe and attractive tourist destination.
It's not a matter of money
An important element, as pointed out, is the fact that the flight schedule of most airlines is returning to normal, a development that is expected to allay the concerns of several travellers, who were hesitant to visit our country. Equally important, it is also the fact that so far at least, tour operators have not reduced the volume of flights they have scheduled to Cyprus (charter flights) in terms of the period May – October.
However, the president of PASYXE, Thanos Michailidis, who was speaking after the end of yesterday's meeting at the Presidential Palace, pointed out that there was no issue of financial support for the industry, but as he said, we are focusing on the part that concerns the continuation of the development of the industry and the tourist flow on the island.
For his part, the Secretary General of the CCCI, Filokypros Roussounidis, welcomed the quick reflexes shown these days, in order to give the real image of Cyprus abroad, while at the same time appealing to all sides to be "very sparing and careful" regarding the image that comes out.
Finally, the President of STEK, Akis Vavlitis, said that "the industry is ready to open normally, as it opens every year. We have been through several crises like this and it will be overcome. The climate that exists in the international media must definitely change, that Cyprus is not in normality," he concluded.
