Cyprus is currently faced with a unique opportunity to integrate artificial intelligence into the way it designs and delivers the tourism experience, said the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nicodemos Damianou has said.
He was speaking at a conference on Artificial Intelligence as a driver of growth in tourism.
As Damianou noted, the question is not whether artificial intelligence will transform tourism, but with how much boldness and speed, with what planning and actions, “we will choose to lead this new era, and how we will align innovation with our cultural identity, our economic ambitions, and the experiences we want to offer our visitors,” he said.
The Deputy Minister stressed that the countries that place artificial intelligence at the core of their tourism strategy will certainly attract more visitors.
“Cyprus, with its long history as a leading Mediterranean tourism destination, is today faced with a unique opportunity to incorporate artificial intelligence into the way it designs and delivers the tourism experience,” he noted.
In an economy like that of Cyprus, he continued, where tourism contributes 13.1% of GDP for 2024 and is expected to reach 14% in 2025, and where the broader technology sector has already reached 15%, “the convergence of the two creates a new, strategically important axis of development,” according to Damianou. He also noted that despite its successes, tourism needs high-level digital capabilities to remain competitive, while technology finds in tourism a field of applications that enhances innovation, extroversion, and the creation of new business models.
“Our key objectives can be summarized in three essential and clear directions. First, to strengthen the competitiveness of our tourism product through smart solutions that improve the visitor experience and reduce costs for businesses. Second, to promote sustainable tourism by leveraging Artificial Intelligence for green practices and responsible development. And third, to create new services and innovative products that will differentiate Cyprus as a destination and enhance the country’s image as technologically advanced,” he emphasized.
“Cyprus has all the characteristics needed to take a leading role in the new era of smart and sustainable tourism,” he concluded.
(Source: CNA)
