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BY PETROS MAVROS
The question raised here is if in Cyprus we have any kind of plan. It is clear that the answer is, “No”. This is very easy to confirm just by asking people of any political background or any business status – all of them will tell you that we have actually never have had a plan. Cyprus’ economy is small, conservative, monopolistic and overprotective. For those reasons we have been rebuked many times by the European Union.
Some days ago we experienced a wave of appreciation towards Mr. Antonis Paschalides, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, for the renewal of the “measures to boost tourism”. This extraordinary gratitude came from all the professional associations: from hoteliers (two associations), the travel agents, tour operators, the restaurateurs and all the others who are involved in the tourism industry. After Mr. Paschalides’ announcement that the measures would remain in place for one more year, most of the grateful hospitality leaders and followers took the flight to the World Travel Market in London (WTM 2009) in order to “fight” with Turkey, Greece, Dubai, Tunisia, Egypt, Malta, the Seychelles …
They went there armed with “short-range weapons” or even “weapons loaded ammunition with a short expiry date”, a.k.a. winter 2010. Nobody had ‘Quality’ in his briefcase as a proposal, nobody was able to offer something new to the end user/tourist, nobody was able to talk of change in the steering course of tourism, nobody was able to touch the deeper problem in tourism in a courageous manner.
The lack of leadership in tourism in Cyprus is very obvious, I mean lack of business leadership – on the political side we have plenty, so much that we could give some away. We lack leaders who can dream of a sustainable tourism industry, of a healthy tourism destination, of a destination that wants to achieve high customer satisfaction. The customer satisfaction survey contacted by the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation points out among others that the substandard infrastructure (e.g. pedestrian and cycling facilities, parking spaces, public restrooms) was the tourist product component that dissatisfied tourists the most. No signs of improvement were recorded in recent years. Drastic corrective measures such as the construction of pedestrian and cycling facilities, especially in tourist areas, should be given priority.
“All the great walks start with the fist step”, said Lao Tse in China, 6th century B.C. In the tourist industry in Cyprus nobody makes this first step, nobody wants to be exposed to the “cold” of innovation; nobody wants to be exposed to the “radioactivity” of financial risk. The Cypriot state is proud for having two new modern airports without spending a cent. Obviously the state did not calculate that those airports would probably be the most expensive in Southern Europe (LCA – ATH 121 Euros airport taxes). Of course, Cyprus being the navel of the planet, the thirty something airlines that complained about the high fees and taxes, will never feel like “real” airlines if they do not touch ground in Cyprus.
It is clear that we need a plan but we have no architect. This is the reason why I have proposed the creation of a Tourism Council, an assembly of professionals without business cards, without personal ambitions, without seeking votes, by people who are only interested in leaving a better future for their children, by people who live and let live in tourism, by people who want to bring about change, who will reinvent a new touristic-economic model that will take us out of this whole mess we are now deep in.
Such an assembly can only succeed if we take into account and develop what other destinations have done, if we are able to take into account and plan having in mind the needs of tomorrow’s end user, if we are able to listen and act fast and efficiently. A body that will take serious steps towards sustainability, accessibility and humanisation of the destination will definitely be a model to follow. The beginning of this effort could be the 2nd E-Tourism Forum (www.etourism-forum.com) in February 2010 when more than ten top level speakers will be talking to us about how we can apply Experience, Innovation, Design and Leadership to gain Customer Trust.
Petros Mavros is Business Development Director at the consultancy Avantless Ltd.
www.avantless.com
