Cyprus places great importance both on sustaining its current tourist markets as well as on reaching out to new ones, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Praxoula Antoniadou has said.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by Cyprus Tourism Organisation, in London, where she traveled on the occasion of the “World Travel Market”, Antoniadou said that “one of the lessons that the financial crisis has taught us is the need to base growth on real sectors of the economy rather than on paper and its derivatives. Tourism is one such solid real sector”.

“With this awareness in mind, Cyprus places great importance both on sustaining its current markets and also on reaching out to new ones, not just in geographical terms but also in terms of interests and purpose” she said.

As she noted, “Cyprus may be blessed with the sun and the sea”, yet she added “it has a well-developed infrastructure in terms of its two modern airports, extensive road network and high tech telecommunications. A series of top star hotels, the marina currently being constructed in Limassol, which will be ready in a year’s time, and increase in the number of golf courses add to the whole picture”.