The island’s tourism authorities and various civil service departments and NGOs pride themselves over the growing number of Blue Flag markings for clean beaches around our coast, which is the benchmark used by foreign tourists to measure the cleanliness of our public facilities.
Now is the time to assess the situation and see if any beaches were up to Blue Flag standard this year or if they failed in order to include them or scratch them from the 2007 summer catalogues.
Unfortunately, these markings are often a false representation of the real picture at the flag-awarded beaches, as many facilities are only clean during the earlier hours of the day. By the end of the day, especially during the peak summer months, many toilets are found to be overflowing, supplies have run out, shower drains are blocked with all sorts of items and garbage bins are not a pretty sight. In other words, not exactly Blue Flag material.
The Blue Flag concept should be encouraged for its rewarding system but should also be used to penalize a certain beach if it is kept below-standard. This does not apply to the facilities within the beach-front hotels, the private-operated restaurants and beach-side services.
The Cyprus Tourism Organisation has a powerful tool to enforce many local partners, be they hoteliers, restaurant owners or seaside municipalities to keep their facilities clean and offer them freely to the public.
But the problem is not limited to the beaches alone, as other public facilities are often a disgrace to the island of hospitality, with toilets reminiscent of what is expected from third-world or poor countries and not a wealthy, services-oriented European state.
The municipal restrooms in all towns should be kept clean at all times, especially if they are areas preferred by tourists. The same applies to the airports and ports, which should invest in brand-new facilities immediately and not give us the excuse that “the new airport will have better facilities.” That’s not for another four or five years!
A group of Cypriot businesspeople returning from a recent visit to the U.S. states of New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland were so impressed by the cleanliness and accessibility of restrooms in public areas as well as private enterprises (stores, restaurants, fast-food, hotels, etc.) that they have not stopped talking about it. They are now probably the best ambassadors for the brand called “Made in America” and continue to brag about the standards of hygiene as if they were natives.
Cyprus is right to be proud of its hospitality and friendly services in all sectors of the economy. But the most fundamental of public services should be kept clean like a jewel and equal of the standard of services we claim to offer. After all, we have a reputation to keep…
