Cyprus Tourist Office President optimistic about tourism in 2014

The President of the Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) Alekos Orountiotis has said that 2014 will be a better year for tourism than the current year in terms of tourist arrivals and revenues, noting at the same time that “the future looks very promising for tourism.”
In statements on the sidelines of a workshop on the efforts undertaken by CTO to mitigate the problem of seasonality and extend the tourist season, Orountiotis described the event as one of the most important initiatives ever undertaken by the CTO aiming at solving this serious problem.
He said that time has eventually come for all tourism stakeholders to address the problem of winter tourism, adding that the conclusions, which will be drawn from the workshop will be promoted in order to make this issue a matter of national strategy and national policy for the Government.
Orountiotis noted that one of the most serious problems Cyprus is facing in attracting winter tourist flow relates to the airline accessibility to Cyprus.
Commenting on the recent statistical data on tourism, CTO President said that tourist arrivals in September 2013 have recorded an increase of 6.7% compared with September 2012, while revenues from tourism increased by 12%.
He pointed out that these figures are encouraging and show that tourism “is a stable and secure pillar of the economy,” adding that “the future looks very bright for tourism.”

“We believe that in 2014, with the help of all stakeholders in the tourism industry, we will be in position to attract even more arrivals,” he said, noting that 2014 will be a better year than 2013 and also a year with increased revenue.
He stressed that tourism is entering an upward movement, which is something that Cyprus economy needs right now.