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What came out of the Apoel v Real Madrid football match was a phrase rarely used these days its:- ‘Small is beautiful’
Economist E.F. Schumacher coined the phrase in his revolutionary treatise published over four decades ago. Central to his theme was mans relentless pursuit of profit, the promotion of giant organisations resulting in gross economic failure, and environmental pollution. This was a man who lambasted the call for growth and more growth, that bigger was somehow better, he was the first economist to question the use of GDP to measure human wellbeing, stating :_’the aim ought to be, to obtain the maximum amount of well being with the minimum amount of consumption’.
Last week it was down to Apoel to deliver us that feeling of well being, for here was a ‘small’ team which previously had been under the fist of a Cypriot football culture where boardrooms and directors of football dictated the shape and style of the team, with players being bought and sold like cattle. In walks a relatively unknown coach -49 year old Serbian Ivan Jovanovic and all that changes- he takes control. He introduces quality tactical organisation, hard work on the training ground, and instils in his players a belief system that allowed them to walk out onto that pitch last Tuesday and feel they could indeed reach for the stars.
That very same mentality and motivation has to be behind our ‘small but beautifully formed’ tourism strategy, okay just like Real Madrid v Apoel we cannot compete with the massive budgets of those players considered to be in the Tourism Champion league, with destinations such as Dubai and Australia ploughing the equivalent budget into tourism greater than the entire sum budgeted for Britain’s tourist board but, we can, and should, take a leaf out of Jovanovics ‘game book’.
We will always be small, but we can be players who are seriously committed, who have the knowledge, who are more than able to compete with the ‘big boys’ and compete on or own terms, we would then have the correct motivation, our budget although small would bring with it the added bonus of creativity, and consistency, and that alone can equal and compete with those ‘Champions of tourism’.
Apoel lost the game 3-0 but they held their ground for 70 breathtaking minutes against the might of Real Madrid, they have one more match to play, this time in Madrid, again they will have the odds stacked high against them, with even their most stalwart of supporters know there is zero chance of Apoel winning. The key here though is- Apoel have the chance to play their game, they will also fight on because they are intensely proud of their team, their colours and their country, and importantly they have a coach who has given them a belief system that makes them convinced that small is ‘really’ beautiful. The big question has to be: – Can the art of tourism become a ‘Beautiful Game’ for Cyprus?
Petros Mavros is Director, Avantless LTD
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
