Tourism chief backs casinos

The Chairman of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) Photis Photiou said one of the key elements in the suggestions for the upgrading of the Cyprus tourism product was the creation of casinos here.

Speaking at a conference held by the Hoteliers Association PASYXE, Photiou said “Cyprus needs casinos and this has been my position since I was appointed to this board, and this is for reasons beyond tourism and income,” he said.

“Yes it is important for the economy, but it is also a political issue when you have Greek Cypriots going north every night.”

Photiou said the current situation regarding casinos was not yet clear with regard to the legalities, but he added that by the end of this year, it should be possible to submit everything necessary to Cabinet.

He said it was not only casinos that were needed to change the face of Cyprus tourism, but also golf courses, marinas and the new planned international conference centre for Limassol.

“Work is going on. We are working,” he added, citing the increase in the number of football teams that were choosing Cyprus for training. This was at the expense of competitors Spain and Turkey.

He also mentioned the issue of the new airport at Larnaca, which is over a year behind schedule with no deal having being signed as yet. He said the CTO had agreed with the Transport Minister that if a deal was not signed in the near future, some upgrading would have to be done. “Work has to be done on the airport one way or the other,” he said.