Stelios Constantinides was a legendary travel industry figure whose love of Cyprus turned him into an Ambassador in the UK for the promotion of tourism to the island. A fighter, a friend, a family man who will be sorely missed.

Stelios tragically passed away on Saturday 20 November 2021, leaving his wife Emma and three daughters Suzanna, Natalie and Stephanie. He was very well known and well regarded  by the UK’s Travel Trade Industry, having worked at the Cyprus Tourism Organisation’s London offices for over two decades, starting as an Information Officer and progressing to Sales and Marketing.

Stelios is remembered by many as the Ambassador of tourism for Cyprus in the UK, taking familiarisation trips with UK travel agents to the island and heading up workshops and events here in the UK. His colleagues in the London office, now renamed Deputy Ministry of Tourism, are devastated by his passing and struggling to find the words to best describe his decades long contribution to promoting Cyprus in the UK.

Maria Avgousti, who also worked alongside Stelios, remembers baking him a birthday cake for the 24th of October when he turned 57.

“The reality of not seeing or speaking to Stelios ever again is hard to comprehend. Heartbroken! We had a great working relationship, he was hard working and very supportive throughout the 20 years of being colleagues and friends, which I’m so thankful for. He was one of the few people who worked closely with me, who knew my capabilities, my worth, and he valued it. He was my mentor! We had many special memories together over the years which I will cherish forever. I will miss his sense of humour, his smile, and his love for football and PAOK! It was an honour to have known him, fly high Stelios mou,” writes Maria Avgousti.

And many more UK travel industry people and past colleagues added their thoughts on Stelios too:

“Stelios was a truly dedicated colleague. His passion for Cyprus was legendary and his commitment to his work was outstanding. Ask any travel agent who had the privilege of joining one of his educationals! He always succeeded in getting a great balance between work and play, leaving the agents with the fondest memories of our beautiful island.” – Lillian Panayi

“Getting to know Stelios as he attended our Travel Bulletin Showcase Events, Stelios revelled in training agents, imparting his in-depth knowledge of Cyprus, agent’s selling options for the destination, planning trips in the UK, as well as fam trips to Cyprus.

Stelios’ enthusiasm, his humour and hard work for the destination meant Cyprus and tourism from the UK to Cyprus has been the winner!” – Simon Edolls, Sales Director Travel Bulletin

“Stelios was one of the nicest people I knew. We were always looking at ways to promote Cyprus together and would go so far as to say that Stelios was the UK’s travel trade Ambassador for Cyprus. He will never be forgotten but remembered for putting Cyprus on the map for UK retailers. All the staff at Cyplon Holidays’ offices were devastated to hear that he had passed away, having fought bravely since last May.” – Tas Anastasi

“Stelios was full of fight and hope. I don’t have one particular memory of Stelios … I have so many. He was always there for us, always ready to help and such a true, passionate, determined and caring ambassador for Cyprus. Over the many, many years of knowing Stelios, I have accumulated so many fun memories during the countless road-shows, events and exhibitions, travelling up and down the UK, Ireland and the Channel Islands. Even though there was a serious side to him, I will never forget his ever-present, cheeky sense of humour. I cannot begin to imagine how devastated Emma and his girls are, they are such a tight family. I have been constantly thinking of them since I found out.” – Sophia Buttigieg, Sales Manager UK & Europe, Thanos Hotels

“Over nearly 20 years we have worked alongside each other and shared many experiences at roadshows, exhibitions, educationals and many more occasions. He has kept me company many times after events and into the small hours (Stelios with his obligatory coffee), while we discussed football (especially his beloved POAK) and family. He became a close confidant and over the last few years we shared several long conversations about the way forward for tourism in Cyprus which he cared deeply about. Heaven’s gain is our loss. My thoughts are with Emma and the girls.” – Darren Eade

“My most prominent memories of dear Stelios was when Cyprus Airways shared a stand with the CTO at numerous exhibitions throughout the year. He would always welcome me and my CY colleagues with a huge smile, followed by a cheeky ‘one liner’. Before the first hour was up of each exhibition, he would gravitate over to our side of the stand and say in a Greek accent, ‘It’s Costaki time!’, meaning, Costa Coffee is calling. That became a ritual for every event we attended.” – Zoe Antoniou

“Stelios will be remembered for doing his very best to promote Cyprus as a year-round destination. All the travel agents in the UK knew him and remembered him for his enthusiasm and passion for an island that meant a great deal to him, not just because this was his job. Both Harry and I were devastated that he had suffered this summer and passed away on Saturday, our thoughts at this very sad time are with Emma and his girls.” – Mathilde Robert, Managing Director Planet Holidays and Weddings

“Stelios was a great guy, both humorous and serious in equal doses. We’ve known him right from the start of his involvement at the C.T.O. We shared great times in AGTA conferences overseas, fam trips and numerous events in the UK promoting Cyprus. What we will always remember on a personal level is that every time we met, our chats turned quickly from business to football, we were surprised how a Cypriot supported a team from Thessaloniki and he told us stories of the time he spent in the city, showing us pictures of his girls with him, all wearing the strips of PAOK.

“Stelios was a true professional and always made sure we were kept up to date with all developments regarding tourism in Cyprus and he always ensured our requests for advertising material were always fulfilled. His passing was untimely, our thoughts with his young family.” – Manolis and Anna Mavroulakis, Greece and Cyprus Travel, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands