He made the announcement at the opening of the 20th travel and tourism exhibition Taxidi 2017 where he was talking about how the government plans to enhance the sector to accommodate the increasing number of tourists. Over three million people visited Cyprus last year and a new record in arrivals is expected for 2017.

“Our ultimate goal, through well thought out and coordinated actions, is to enhance the quality and diversify our tourism product. To this end, we continue to enrich our experience, for example by promoting investments in major projects such as golf courses, marinas and the integrated casino resort,” he said.

Last year showed the limitations of the island’s infrastructure and exposed both the advantages and problems in Cyprus, which is why there is a need to proceed with very specific actions, the minister explained.

For this purpose, he this week met with the justice minister, the police force, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and airport operator Hermes to examine and take a series of measures to ensure a smooth arrival and departure of passengers at Larnaca and Paphos airports “to avoid the phenomena observed last summer during the summer months so that our visitors have the maximum satisfaction from their holidays in Cyprus.”

Lakkotrypis explained the ministry was also in the process of finalising the preparation of a new national tourism strategy the implementation of which will, among other things, attract tourists from new markets and at the same time further extend the tourist season.

The Taxidi exhibition, held at the beginning of every summer, aims to bring together members of the public and tourism professionals. Visitors can find information about different destinations and available packages in Cyprus and abroad.

It is organised by the Association of Cyprus Travel Agents and takes place at the Filoxenia Conference Centre in Nicosia from April 21 until April 23.

http://www.taxidiexhibition.com

Source: Cyprus Mail