The strong message from John Christodoulou to the youth: If we forget our roots, we will forget our destiny.
In a simple but moving ceremony that took place in London, within the framework of the internationally renowned ‘Where Travel & Tourism Meet’ conference of the ‘World Travel Market’ London (wtm.com), the honorary awarding of the Cypriot businessman John Christodoulou took place for his many years of significant efforts to promote Cyprus abroad.
The recent organization of the Pan-Cyprian competition ‘Love Cyprus’ by the Yianis Christodoulou Foundation, which was addressed to Primary Schools, General Secondary Education, and Technical Secondary Education and offered our youth the opportunity to discover the authentic Cyprus through tradition, culture, dances, and music, constitutes the main reason for the Award. The competition which saw almost 200 schools from all over Cyprus send in over 600 projects, exceeded expectations, seeing the total prize amount increase to €180,000. The judging panel comprised of John Christodoulou, Anna Vissi, Marianna Latsi and Christian Moore, and concluded with an admission free event, with the amazing Greek singer Konstantinos Argyros performing his hits to over 2,000 audience members.
Through this initiative, tourism awareness was also enhanced in schools, highlighting the decisive role of tourism on our island. Additionally, the Foundation provided financial support to the schools that excelled in the competition, enabling them to cover significant needs of the school units.
The award was presented by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr. Kostas Koumis, who leads the Cypriot participation in the conference. As Mr. Koumis stated, “the Deputy Ministry of Tourism expresses its warm thanks for Mr. Christodoulou’s dedication and contribution to Cyprus and declares its readiness to support the future work of the Foundation, with the aim of enhancing tourism awareness and further promoting our island.”
Visibly moved, Mr. John Christodoulou stated among other things that, “we must educate our children so that they can understand our traditions, the history of Cyprus, and the special island where we come from. We need our kids to understand the pain and sorrow we had during the Turkish invasion and how we suffered. This cannot be forgotten, this needs to be explained. We cannot forget and we all have to remember where we come from. If we forget our roots we will forget our destination.”
He then thanked the Deputy Minister for the Award at such an important conference, renewing their meeting, as he said, “in our beloved Cyprus.”
The Deputy Minister also commended the wider exposure that Mr. John Christodoulou and the Yianis Christodoulou Foundation provide to the cultural, tourist, and natural beauties of the island.