Useful conclusions and recommendations at the STEK Conference “Tourism: The Path to Sustainable Development”
The need to provide special investment sponsorship plans to help the hotel industry was pointed out by the president of STEK.
In the presence of the Deputy Minister of Tourism, ambassadors, government officials and entrepreneurs in the tourism sector from Cyprus, Greece and other countries abroad, the STEK Conference on “Tourism: The path to sustainable development” took place on Wednesday, March 22.
The Conference developed topics such as the redefinition of the tourism model through ESG criteria, sustainability, technology and the human factor, and in general the challenges and prospects for a sustainable tourism product.
More experiences, activities and more dynamic marketing are needed for German tourists
Attendees also had the opportunity to be informed about the findings of the research, which was carried out jointly by STEK and KES College and related to the shortage of staff in hotels, identifying obstacles and forming incentives to attract staff to the hotel industry in immediate and long-term future.
Target to increase up to 10% in 2023
During the greeting he read on behalf of the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulidis, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mr. Costas Koumis stated that tourism is a separate chapter on the path to Sustainable Development for which the effort must be shared and is an obligation of all us. During his participation in a round table discussion, Mr. Koumis emphasized that the issues of sustainability should be resolved today because otherwise we will find them in front of us in the coming years. For this year's tourist year, he stated that the goal is to increase tourist arrivals by 5%-10% compared to last year.
For his part, the Deputy General Director of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Minister of Works, Mr. Yiannis Nicolaidis, stated that sustainable development and smart mobility are key priorities of the Ministry. At the heart of the efforts is the assurance and continuous improvement of the connectivity of Cyprus so that the operators of the tourism sector can continue to contribute to the Cypriot economy.
Need for adaptation
The Secretary General of Tourism Policy and Development of the Ministry of Tourism of Greece, Mrs. Olympia Anastasopoulou, explained that in Greece they found that the “Sun and Sea” model from one point on was not enough and they focused their strategy to the enrichment of the product and the visitor's experiences and to the extension of arrivals spatially and temporally.
For her part, the Ambassador of Germany in Cyprus, Mrs. Anke Schlimm, stated that “you are on the right track for an increase in German tourists and to win them more experiences, activities and more dynamic marketing are required”.
The High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Cyprus, Mr. Irfan Siddiq, referred to the strong tourism relationship between Cyprus and the United Kingdom. “We are pleased that the Cypriot market has recovered quickly after the pandemic. In the context of sustainable development there are significant challenges for the sector, but with appropriate and valid adjustments Cyprus can maintain its momentum among British tourists”.
Uncertainty is common >
The President of STEK, Mr. Akis Vavlitis emphasized that uncertainty is now common for tourism. “The challenges are many and successive and operating costs have skyrocketed due to many factors affecting not only the profitability but also the viability of businesses in the sector. That is why we consider it necessary to offer the affected hotel industry special investment investment plans to help it enter the era of sustainable development”.
More than 300 people participated in the Conference, while among the speakers were representatives from large organizations, businesses and institutions such as Grand Hyatt Athens, TUI Care Foundation, Expedia Group and Hermes Airports.
The conclusions of the Conference will be available to the delegates in the immediate future.
The Conference was held under the auspices of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, while the main sponsor of the event was Hellenic Bank. Sponsors were Hermes Airports, Cyprus Certification Company, Athanasis Economides Document Solutions, Monin, A.S. Xinaris & Sons, Dimco-Level Architectural Lighting, PGS Lighting-Electrical, Coffee Care, HRD Polycarpou, Sotos Outdoor, JCC, Puressence, ANAD, Eurotel Hospitality Cyprus, Rooms Furniture and the Hilton hotel while the official carrier was Aegean Airlines.
