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Last week Theodore Koumelis Chief Editor of Travel Daily News travelled to Paphos where he was guest of Michaelis Pavlides the recently elected Mayor of Yeroskipou. Top of the agenda was how Yeroskipou can play a strategic role in the upcoming tourist challenges that lie ahead for this suburb, which is the home to Aphrodite Goddess of Love and from many years back- was also known as the Holy Gardens of Aphrodite.
With such an impressive cultural heritage of both fact and fiction it was facts that interested TDN, specifically the impact of the recent agreement signed between Ryan Air and Hermes airport.
Over coffee and a plate of the traditional Loukoumi Yeroskipou (a unique Cypriot sweet and the first Cypriot product declared by the European Union as having Protected Geographical Indication www.loukoumi.eu).
The first question posed by Koumelis was how the mayor was bracing himself in these difficult times for the enormous challenge ahead of promoting tourism to the area?
In responding Pavlides displayed both a level of pride and at the same time declared himself to be a positive enabler in his position as Mayor and went on to list key points in his bid to integrate tourism into his plans.
"Yeriskipou" he explained "is blessed with a beautiful tourist friendly sandy beach front with safe bathing and close by there are plenty of good quality hotels, this alone makes for Yeroskipou claim to being a significant player in the Cyprus tourist stakes. The prime aim of our municipality is to look to upgrading our tourism infrastructure so as to differentiate the product and make it more attractive for niche markets such as sports tourism etc."
The big question of how the mayor evaluated the agreement between Ryanair and Hermes Airports was one that TDN was keen to hear answered and after the usual thanks given by the Mayor for all those involved who made the deal happen he explained his position.
"Opening Paphos Airport to so many different destinations is not something that happens every day and the Municipality Board will certainly help support the promotion of Paphos to those new destinations. Making Paphos airport the 50th Ryan Air base in the world immediately transforms our airport from marginal to very important, and this is what we now need to administrate correctly.
And when I say administrate, I mean we as elected leaders have to be the positive flag carriers of this administration carrying with us the all important transparency and meritocracy which are key elements for this new impending era of tourism.
We already have a tremendous amount to offer in Yeroskipou, it’s an ideal, safe, place for families to enjoy their time together, offering a range of hotels all adapted to their needs, at the same time offering additional attractions such as a water-park, games pitches etc.
With the arrival of Ryanair we look to welcoming families from new destinations such as Germany, Poland, Denmark, and Sweden also those from other countries all keen to soak up the culture, archeology, and good old fashioned family pleasures that our suburb offers.
The municipality of Yeroskipou will never be accused of being inactive we are extremely pro active and will work day and night to ensure Paphos along with the unique culture of Yeroskipou are both enjoyed by many families from many countries.
Finally I would just like to say to those potential Ryan Air customers flying into Paphos: ‘The welcome mat is out- waiting for you all".
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
