President Nikos Christodoulides said the launch of consultations on direct flights between India and Cyprus would be among the key issues discussed during his visit to India starting on Wednesday.
Speaking on Tuesday at the presentation of the new tourism development strategy of Paralimni-Dherynia municipality, President Christodoulides described India as “a huge market of one billion people” that Cyprus aims to tap into, adding that attracting Indian visitors would be high on the agenda during his meetings in Mumbai and New Delhi.
He said the government’s strategic goal was the continuous upgrading of Cyprus’ tourism product, describing local authorities as key partners within the country’s tourism ecosystem.
Referring to figures presented earlier on Tuesday by Deputy Tourism Minister Costas Koumis during a cabinet meeting, President Christodoulides said tourist arrivals to Cyprus were down by 6.5 per cent, while assuring that the government stood ready “to provide all necessary support.”
“Real growth comes when the state, local authorities, the business community and society operate with a common vision and shared direction on where we want to lead our country,” he said.
The President stressed that tourism development could not be separated from a country’s overall trajectory, linking it directly to stability, credibility, foreign policy, investment attractiveness, innovation and reform efforts, as well as the ability to address green and digital challenges.
He added that “the results of this strategy are already visible” and expressed confidence that “the future will be even better.”
Referring to the new tourism development strategy unveiled by Paralimni-Dherynia municipality, President Christodoulides said the municipality was “leading the way” and expressed hope that other municipalities would follow its example.
“What is being presented today reflects a municipality’s response to new challenges and the need to demonstrate how unique our tourism product is,” he said, congratulating the municipality on the initiative.
(Source: CNA)
