The Cyprus Tourism Organisation celebrated the 10th anniversary of its presence in Ireland yesterday with a lunch at the Westin Hotel, Dublin. The new Ambassador of Cyprus to Ireland, Dr Michalis Stavrinos, told the guests: “The upgrading of Cyprus-Ireland bilateral relations remains one of the main priorities of my assignment in Ireland – with the increase in tourist exchanges at the top of that.”
The CTO’s efforts to increase tourism are starting to pay off with a 10.6% rise in tourism in January – October 2011, compared with the same period in 2010 and 2009. Tourism to the island is around two million people a year.
For 2012, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation has launched various incentives to assist increasing tourism, especially in the areas of group tourism such as conferences and sports training.
A subsidisation scheme has been launched for travel agents or corporate organisers holding conferences in Cyprus, whereby some costs of travel expenses of keynote speakers, gala dinners, and so forth, can be re-imbursed. Sports clubs in Ireland wishing to train in Cyprus can also avail of subsidies, depending on the club level. Included are soccer clubs, running clubs, and cycling clubs.
