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We followed the last Troika and IMF visit to Cyprus regarding the state of the tourist industry and other matters. Those involved directly with the industry, i.e. Hoteliers, C.T.O. and others, say that they cannot reduce costs since electricity and staff cost is more than three times of our competitors such as Egypt, Turkey and even Greece.
We dispute this as such and it is easy to give costs as the excuse, but what is true of the total package?
If we are to restrict ourselves to the electricity cost, yes, it is a problem, one of the highest in Europe, but it is going down at a fast rate save recently.
Staff cost is also reducing be it by a minimal rate mind you, thanks to an extent due to the foreign workers in the hotels (offering however not a good service and taking jobs from locals, but then Greek (from Greece) waiters are far away ahead having a unique way of behaviour – see Austria placing ads for waiters “preferably Greek”.
The tourist product dear readers is not only the hotel charges as such but:
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Travel cost – Now that the old Cyprus Airways has closed down, we expect to have cheaper flights, more connections and a better service [at least short term] – but then the unfortunate closing of Cobalt in the meantime.
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Once arriving at the airport tourists must address the taxi drivers mafia at the airports. It may cost you €60/p.p. to come from
Greece
We cannot charge a bottle of water €0.50, whereas in other countries it’s half to 1/3 for the same size bottle. Why charge tourists for cigarettes almost 50% more than what we sell to locals? We must tell you about our own experience at Ayia Napa, where we asked at a kiosk for a packet of Rothmans with an ordinary sales price of €4.50, we were charged €6/each. We complained, and the kiosk chap told us “I thought you were tourists”!!
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We have lodged numerous complains either directly or through this lovely paper, to the C.T.O. and the Government, but it seems that they do not want to hear (no reply anyway), hiding behind “it is a free market and we cannot intervene”. Yet a recent report in
Greece
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We have no sympathy for those who complain about the cost of tourism in Cyprus and that it cannot go down. If we cannot, we can at least offer a better service, less thieving all around (you do remember the memorable charge of €2 for a lemon in a restaurant at Paphos, the beating of Australian tourists by Ayia Napa taxi drivers – both cases recorded on the internet) and many other ways to upgrade it.
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Regrettably, we have the main driver of the Cyprus tourist industry, the C.T.O., which seems to be in an endless sleep with its staff mainly interested in fat salaries, jobs for the boys are to be blamed. A lot of talk and no action. We hope that with the new undersecretary of Tourism things will improve, whereas following the Greek example with “planted” spies to check charges and quality is all for the best.
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You do also remember the bus service between Ayia Napa – Paralimni at a cost of €2/each, yet the taxi charge €8 for the same route. The end result and under political pressure by the corrupt local political parties, late bus hours were reduced. So, we have a higher cost tourist service.
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What can we say about another Mafia group, those of the water sports who claim that no tenders should be sought because the existing ones are the ones who know the local social conditions, sea currents. We had even some MPs, liked by us, that supported this ridiculous claim. Even Troika commented on this “how much muscle these people have”?
So, when Troika comes back, we can give Troika a piece of our mind in an effort to help the industry and, by projection, our own business, real estate. Troika seems to interview and get ideas from whom?
Those who stand to benefit and not those who are subsidizing the industry (all the rest of us) and this is the government’s fault.
Another example is the beach bed charges and as an example, after investigating the local ticketing people at Paralimni, there was an added income of €400,000 p.a. (by the staff charging the tourists twice).
So, we have a higher cost tourist service.
What is the solution? We cannot profess to be experts on this, but the recipients of the bad management of the tourist industry and the economy in general.
Our own idea is to have:
- A website by the consumers association rather than the C.T.O. and all those who can register to the “visitors checklist” to pay a fee say €20 p.a., advertising their product and charges giving full name, addresses etc. Charges subject to approval of the C.T.O. or other bodies such as KEVE.
- The local Municipalities to place ads on the roads regarding basic products and restaurant prices e.g. cigarettes, coffee, bottled water, wines etc. Proposed by Ayia Napa Municipality which fell through!!
- To name and shame those who are overcharging in the media with collaboration of tour operators. A capitalist system is not a free for all and a thieving system dear readers. It is competition relating to service at a reasonable profit.
- The checklist participants to be checked by the C.T.O. (who must have the legal power to stop operations).
- To set up a private company with government participation together with foreign tour operators and local investors in order to replace the C.T.O. on such matters. The scope of the company is to increase the island’s tourist number and the performance of the industry. It will get a success fee based on performance subject to minimum results.
- So that we are not dreaming, there is a government consumers association which is inactive, and we take our hat off to a more or less one-man business (Mr Aristodemou) on the same subject. This one-man business with no pay or other interest has upset recently the political parties/ government waking them up on reducing petrol prices, placed a no bread buy for one day due to an unreasonable price increase and so many other matters. This is what we need.
We are very upset over the whole situation since tourism is the rock of the Cyprus economy.
The tourists are the foundation of future property buyers and if they are happy with their tourist experiences, then sales of real estate will follow.
We have all the prerequisites for doing better, yet we lack the courage and cronyism is holding us back, as well as the never-ending political party involvemement.
