.
The government seems to be undecided over whether it wants to boost development and growth (and collect more taxes) or if it would rather deter spending in the economy and slow down all activity which is currently driven by the private sector.
The recent decree by the Ministry of Labour extending the “tourist shopping hours” throughout November, but only in the District of Nicosia, rightly upset the Employers and Industrialists Federation that cannot comprehend the logic behind such a decision, which is not extended to other districts as well.
The employers’ association said that it has made several recommendations to the Minister of Labour saying that at the present juncture of the economic crisis and lack of activity in the market, it is the state’s responsibility to create the right conditions to revive the economy by introducing the necessary tools that will boost trade and, subsequently, new investments in the retail sector.
Perhaps what some government officials have not yet realised is that ALL of Cyprus is a tourist area and we cannot mark certain parts of the island as “off limits” to tourists.
Ironically, preventing shops from remaining open whenever they want and for as long as they want goes against the efforts of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation that is trying to lure short and long-term visitors to embark on our Wine Routes, take on the Nature Trails and visit the special-interest villages.
If shops are not allowed to remain open, we might as well start issuing food vouchers and coupons to tourists as they arrive at our airports so they know where to go and which areas to avoid as they may have a “Sorry, we’re closed” sign on the front door.
Another oxymoron is the CTO’s own campaign to promote internal tourism, ie. encourage Cypriots and permanent residents alike to visit other towns and spend their hard-earned cash on discounted hotels, restaurants and shops.
Perhaps the CTO’s responsible minister (of Commerce Industry and Tourism) should talk to her colleague (of Labour and Social Insurance) to relax or even abolish the antiquated law that puts controls on shopping hours, whereas it should be the market forces that ought to determine where and when some shop remains open. After all, the shopkeeper who wants to close early will be the one losing out in this argument, while the local and visiting consumer will benefit.
