Provided there are signs of the coronavirus pandemic relenting in the near future, in turn giving rise to an uptick in air travel, the deputy ministry of tourism plans to roll out an online advertising blitz for Cyprus in early 2021, capturing as many eyeballs ahead of the next summer season.
Speaking in parliament on Thursday, deputy minister of tourism Savvas Perdios said 2021 will be a year when tourist destinations will ‘fight it out’ for punters.
The ministry has budgeted some €2m for an aggressive marketing strategy to be launched immediately in the event of positive signals in relation to the pandemic, or news of the imminent release of a coronavirus vaccine.
And greater emphasis will be placed on digital marketing.
The ministry’s total balance sheet for 2021 comes to €45 million, down from €52 million in 2020.
Payroll accounts for 23%, and marketing for 48%.
The line item in the budget on actions to upgrade the island’s tourism product has doubled in size compared to 2020.
The ministry intends to bring forward plans to diversify Cyprus’ offerings, for example promoting theme-related tourism as well as agro-tourism.
Other ideas include promoting themed beaches, for example establishing ‘quiet beaches’ without music or water sports, attracting a certain type of tourist.
Despite opening its airports in the summer, Cyprus’ tourism sector tanked – revenues plunged by about 85% compared to last year, according to official estimates.
Source: Cyprus Mail
