Pafos, on the southwest coast of the island, along with Sevilla in Spain are the winners of the EU 2023 European Capitals of Smart Tourism competition.

The title was awarded on Friday during an event at the Town Hall of Pafos and as organizers said, the award was the result of a careful and systematic effort by the Municipality and the organisation for Tourism Development and Promotion of the district.

An one-minute silence was observed at the beginning, in memory of the two Cypriot students who lost their lives in the deadly train collision in Greece.

Pafos Mayor Phedonas Phedonos said that because of the tragic accident all the events organized in the city for the presentation of the title, were cancelled.

Pafos will hold the title of the EU’s 2023 European Capital of Smart tourism until 31st December 2023.

The Mayor said that although Pafos is particularly a popular tourist destination in the Mediterranean, it can develop and evolve further to offer more quality services to visitors.

He referred to all the projects implemented the past years with the aim for Pafos to develop into a smart city with digitized services and innovative programmes.

Chairman of Pafos Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kyriakos Drousiotis said that Pafos managed with a very methodical approach to win this title, having competed with famous cities in the EU.

Other stakeholders also praised the effort which led to this prestigious title and noted that Pafos is now a destination that fulfills the criteria in sustainability, accessibility, digitization, cultural heritage and creativity