Lefkos Phylactides, Acting Director General of the Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) has said that the environment of the tourism industry is as intensively competitive as ever and the continuous improvement and renewal of the whole spectrum of Cyprus’s tourist product is, respectively, an uncompromising necessity. He said that he is an avid supporter of the integrated, systemic approach and he will put all effort so that the foundation of this approach lies in their new national tourism strategy.

Since Cyprus, as an island destination, is inevitably highly dependent on air transport, CTO also determined to improve its accessibility and are focusing on the introduction of new flights from the target markets, the increase of flight frequency and the improvement of the relevant time schedules.

CTO also takes into consideration about the impact of seasonal variation in demand and are ready to implement additional, structured plans in order to specifically address the issue of seasonality and successfully extend the tourist season. Mr. Lefkos Phylactides said that Cyprus has all the potential to be gradually established as a top-performing destination for all four seasons.

Meanwhile, Travel and Tourism News stated that Cyprus is proving to be very popular with holiday home buyers from overseas as the Mediterranean island is increasingly being seen as a year-round holiday destination. This has led to growing interest in the Cypriot property market among lifestyle buyers, as many want their own permanent base in the country.

The news is a welcome boost to a tourism-dependent economy still battling to come out of recession in the face of the economic woes of its main northern European tourism markets. Foreign tourist numbers showed a strong increase of 15 per cent in March 2010 over the same month of 2009, Arrivals were 103,803 against 90,434 in March 2009, the report said. There was a 5.7 percent increase in arrivals from Britain, the island’s largest source of holidaymakers, and a 20.1 percent improvement from Germany
Nearly 20.1 per cent of the foreigners who visited the Mediterranean island were Germans, followed by British tourists with 5.7 per cent. There was a 5.7 percent increase in arrivals from Britain, the island’s largest source of holidaymakers, and a 20.1 percent improvement from Germany However, the central bank warns the recession in Europe has taken its toll on the Mediterranean holiday island whose economy contracted by 1.7 percent in 2009 and may register negative growth again this year.

Noel Josephides of Sunvil Travel and former chairman of the association of independent tour operators (AITO) told the Financial Mirror that Cyprus continues to be an expensive destination, so all this is left to do is to improve the product and promote it hard.

“This is a good time to clean up whatever is wrong in Cyprus and improve on the infrastructure, ” he added.

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias opened the new Larnaca terminal, built by a consortium of French and Cypriot companies, at a ceremony attended by French European Affairs Minister Pierre Lellouche. He said that this will boost flagging tourism and boost prospects of it becoming a regional transport hub.

Larnaca airport now has double the capacity to handle passenger traffic with The 100,000 square metre high-tech terminal which is four times larger than its predecessor, just a couple of kilometres away on the island’s south coast. The construction took three years at a cost 656 million euros in what is one the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Cyprus. Flight operations from the new airport began, with Cyprus Airways and easyjet flights only and become fully operational from November 17. Officials hope the new airport will also attract foreign investment to Cyprus.

In a bid to attract more tourists and promote Cyprus as a regional service centre, an upgraded airport in Paphos, on the west coast opened last year at a cost of 127 million euros and is able to manage 2.7 million passengers a year.

Mr. Antonis Paschalides has said that the government wants to assist the stay of Iranians who buy a property in Cyprus provided that the price of the house exceeds a certain amount and that the funds used for the purchase of the property come from abroad. The minister already has visited the Iranian capital of Tehran in early March, to sign a trade protection agreement.

According to www.opp.org.uk reports, Paschalides has proposed to grant Iranian investors permanent residency in Cyprus after buying mid- to high-end properties that means a minimum €350,000 should be spent on the property before considering offering a visa. The minister notes that an increasing number of Iranians are investing in property and business on the island and high numbers of Iranian tourists are expected to arrive in Cyprus this month to celebrate the Iranian Norooz, Iranian New Year.

Cia Sadreggini, MD of Larnaca-based firm Nikada Developers skeptically welcomed the news, as he thinks the minister will have trouble in getting it around EU immigration laws. He commented “A lot of Iranians are attracted to Dubai for visa purposes and they spend billions of Euros there every year so the relaxing of laws could be very important for Cyprus. If the Cypriot government allows them a visa in this way, it would be huge news for Cyprus.”

Tourism in the country has been reduced during the last 12 months as the recession continues to grip the UK. Cyprus has struggled to attract budget travelers who instead have opted for cheaper options. Cyprus has turned tables by taking advantage of the expensive resort image.

The Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) has shifted the fulcrum of its strategy to attract the higher end of the luxury holiday market as it is expected to be one of the “big growth areas” in global tourism in 2009. Traditionally, the country has been seen as an inexpensive option for holidays, but now it is planning to attract wealthy holidaymakers as well as families. The government has put a lot of new investment into restaurants and five star hotels with millions of Euros have been invested to accommodate the new clientele.

CTO has also invested lot of money in creating luxury holiday packages and sustainable tourism initiatives. Photis Lambrianides, the commercial director of Olympic Holidays has stated that sales will increase despite the slow start in 2009.

According to Travel weekly, Cyprus has long realized that attracting more affluent travelers, who place importance on quality of product rather than price, is key to bumping up numbers.

Tourism in the country has been reduced during the last 12 months as the recession continues to grip the UK. Cyprus has struggled to attract budget travelers who instead have opted for cheaper options. Cyprus has turned tables by taking advantage of the expensive resort image.

The Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) has shifted the fulcrum of its strategy to attract the higher end of the luxury holiday market as it is expected to be one of the “big growth areas” in global tourism in 2009. Traditionally, the country has been seen as an inexpensive option for holidays, but now it is planning to attract wealthy holidaymakers as well as families. The government has put a lot of new investment into restaurants and five star hotels with millions of Euros have been invested to accommodate the new clientele.

CTO has also invested lot of money in creating luxury holiday packages and sustainable tourism initiatives. Photis Lambrianides, the commercial director of Olympic Holidays has stated that sales will increase despite the slow start in 2009.

According to Travel weekly, Cyprus has long realized that attracting more affluent travelers, who place importance on quality of product rather than price, is key to bumping up numbers.

There will be Christmas decorations and New Year events for festive holidaymakers to enjoy in Paphos. Cyprus mail has reported that Local cooks in Paphos will be attempting to break the world record for the biggest doner kebab as part of the popular holiday destination’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. The world record-breaking attempt will take place on December 31 in Kennedy Square, in the centre of Paphos. End-of-the-year festivities will be based around a new Christmas tree outside the town hall and include free drinks, music and entertainment.

Paphos authorities have invested in a number of new Christmas decorations this year, including lights to illuminate Poseidonos Avenue in Kato Paphos.The mayor, Savvas Vergas, and his councilors have decided to support a local firm’s bid to make the largest chicken doner kebab in the world, securing Cyprus a place in the Guinness book of records. The sight of a giant doner kebab could make New Year’s Eve revelers to get a great holiday deal in Paphos.

Similides, a councilor of Paphos commented “I think they’re going to need around 2,500 kilos of chicken fillet to beat the record.”

Paphos is proving to be a highly popular region among those buying second homes in Cyprus. Paphos has a number characteristics and features which it earned it the popularity it now enjoys. The housing market has seen considerable growth in recent times, with values rising by about 80 per cent in the last few years.

Meanwhile, The Mirror recently stated that Paphos is a favorite spot with overseas property buyers from the UK in particular.

The Aristo developers has said that the island will be constructed as part of the redevelopment of the town’s marina, which it states is one of four across the country for which the government of Cyprus has granted permission for redevelopment. The main aim is to extend the tourist season and increase cruise tourism. Limassol Marina will begin construction in early 2009 and is planned to be finished in 2013. There will be 1,000 berths available with 400 connected to the mainland and 600 on the new island.

Commenting on the development, Martin Pearce, UK sales director of Aristo developers has said that the scale of the projects is “quite amazing. He added that the company is excited to see these projects get under way and the feeling in Cyprus is that it will not only create more jobs in the areas mentioned but will also appeal to a different kind of visitors. Those looking to invest in holiday property in Cyprus, therefore can find good returns on rental stock in towns that have new marina developments taking place.

This comes after the news that the Shelter Offshore has recommended Cyprus as the leading place to go. Many of the reasons are ones that investors will be familiar with, such as the climate, good standard of living and cheaper prices than last year due to the inevitable effects of the world economic situation.

Phoebe Katsouri, director general of Cyrus Tourism Organization has said that they are looking to identify potential markets and clients who can help maintain current tourism levels, which could be good news for people with property in Cyprus. Ms Katsouri also stated that, to increase the Cyprus’s tourism levels, The CTO is making “huge efforts” to increase visitor numbers by collaborating with local authorities.

The Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) wanted to increase the amount of foreign arrivals in the country by ten per cent next year. So New promotional campaigns to showcase other aspects of the island apart from its more famous attributes, such as sun, sea and sand has been launched, reports the Financial Mirror.

The CTO said it would collaborate with airlines in order to help attract more visitors from areas such as the Middle East. An official from CTO said that initiatives in next year there will be more joint campaigns with airlines.

Cyprus is already a popular overseas property hotspot; the initiatives by the Government could broaden the appeal of the island and potentially open up new areas to tourists. If the visitor numbers go up significantly, this could be good news for the holiday industry and other groups who depend on it, including private property investors.

According to City AM, The Mediterranean country enjoys hot and sunny weather for most of the year and visitors to the island can enjoy activities such as golf, diving, walking, rambling or relaxing on its blue flag beaches. It is “easy” to see why millions of Brits fell “in love” with Cyprus, especially since it could be reached from the UK in only four hours.

The resorts of Larnaca and Paphos on Cyprus are perfect for mini weekend breaks. The People magazine said Paphos had something that appealed to everyone, such as places to enjoy a night out and a variety of cultural and historical sites while its good weather and scenery are also highlighted as further benefits for tourists.

Meanwhile, Emirates airline has announced direct services between Dubai and Larnaca will begin operating from the beginning of December. As a result, it is likely that it will attract strong interest from holidaymakers and overseas property buyers during 2009.

The year round sunshine means that it is likely to attract tourists for a longer period of time, which will result in tourist lodgings being in continuous demand.

Therefore, rental property in Cyprus could be far more lucrative than investing in a country with a more seasonal tourist trade.