The Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative (CSTI) has launched its first of six “village route” guide as part of a new initiative that aims to encourage ‘sustainable tourism’ to benefit villages previously marginalised by the sheer volume of commercial tourism.
The new guide, that includes 16 villages in western Limassol district, provides a basic tour, side trips and an alternative route that is expected to help self-drive and mini-bus tourists discover the “real Cyprus”.
CSTI Chairman Philippos Droushiotis, who operates the Droushia Heights hotel in the Akamas region, said that “the tourism market on the island, and especially in Paphos, has a high percentage of repeat and long-stay visitors who stay in hotels or villas and want to be able to explore the island and receive a sincere and traditional Cyprus welcome.
The CSTI programme was established after the success of the Support Abandoned Villages and their Enviropnment (SAVE) pilot project in 2002-2005 in cooperation with the Travel Foundation, Cyprus-specialist travel companies such as Cosmos, Sunvil and Libra, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, local village councils and municipalities, environmental NGOs such as CYMEPA and the Greens, and hoteliers, to provide a quality, natural and cultural experience of Cyprus not normally on offer to the ordinary tourist.
The new village routes will include areas in the east and west coasts and the mountains.
“For CSTI and the Travel Foundation, being sustainable means not only environmentally, but commercially, economically and socially sustainable too,” he said.
“It’s all about giving back to the community,” he said, adding that the initiative will help revive interest in some villages and create a secure future for local services and industries.
Michael Ierides of CYMEPA, the land and environmental NGO, said that 85% of tourists surveyed do not want to burden the environment, while 94% would be prepared to pay a 1% premium or more to help protect the environment.
Zacharias Ioannides, General Manager of the Cyprus Hotels Association, praised the launch of the initiative and said that this would help discover the real values of a destination. But he said that now would be a good time to involve political parties and as part of a greater awareness effort, especially as the municipal and local administration elections are very close.
George Michaelides of the Association of Cultural and Cyprus Special Interest Tourism that helped draft the initial blueprint of the initiative, said that work needs to be done to secure mini-bus access to out-of-way villages or sights and this can only be done by state or public funding, while Sunvil’s John der Parthog cautioned of the dangers that could arise from an influx of tourist buses, some of which could avoid or prefer a village if that community is prepared to cough up about CYP 4,000 in ‘fees’ or commissions.
