Paphos, together with other European cities, are now standards for smart tourism in Europe and are at the top of the international ranking in terms of sustainability, innovation and the integration of smart practices, the Director of the Tourism Development and Promotion Company of the Paphos Region Nassos tells KYPE Hatzigeorgiou, on the occasion of securing the title of the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2023.
Mr. Hatzigeorgiou, one of the executives who contributed to winning the title of European Capital of Smart Tourism 2023, told the KYPE that after after several months of preparations, Paphos managed to win the title of European Capital of Smart Tourism 2023.
As he said, the awarding of the title is a confirmation that the path taken in the last four years by the Municipality of Paphos and the actions implemented to date by various bodies in specific areas such as accessibility, sustainability, digitization, cultural heritage and creativity are rewarded and recognized now at the European level.
Also, through a kind cooperation of the Municipality of Paphos and ETAP Paphos, the proposal continued, was formulated and submitted in June. A proposal which in September advanced to the 7 Finalists.
At the same time, he said, “we were convinced that we have a specific plan and vision, while in the final stage, the perfect presentation of the action plan for 2023 played a decisive role, which fully satisfied the objectives set by the competition, giving us the distinction”.
As Mr. Hatzigeorgiou mentioned the Paphos together with other European cities are now models for smart tourism in Europe and are at the top of the international rankings in terms of sustainability, innovation and the integration of smart practices.
For us the title means, as he said , “upgrading the image that the destination transmits both inside and outside of Cyprus, it gives possibilities for the involvement of the City and the destination in general in financial programs, it gives opportunities for networking with several progressive cities but also with the previous Capitals of Smart Tourism while binding us all for further action both in 2023 and the following years”.
He also pointed out that the winning cities will receive specialized communication and branding support for 2023. This will include the production of a promotional video, a specially designed sculpture hashtag for the city, as well as personalized promotional activities and visibility at European level and internationally.
At the same time, Paphos has planned lots of actions to promote the title and will also prepare an action plan of good practices of smart destinations for implementation within 2023, concluded the Director of ETAP Paphos.
