George Michaelides made the statement at the organisation's annual general meeting in Nicosia. Referring to the association's '365' project for year-round tourism Michaelides said that sustainable tourism has vital role in keeping and upgrading cultural and natural beauties. The island's tourism competitiveness would be greatly enhanced by developing packages that offer holidaymakers experiences and participatory events. In his view, innovation should become a way out of the recession since the best period to prepare for growth is in a period of economic downturn.

Michaelides said tour operators now realised that sun and sea holidays were no longer enough and that they now wanted to add experiences to the mix. Specialist tourism was the driving force of competitiveness and growth, he said, in Europe and particularly in Cyprus. Promoting this kind of holiday would help to end seasonality and make the most of unused possibilities by presenting the human dimension of tourism and cultural heritage, Michaelides said. "We also contribute to offering quality upgraded holidays, giving tourists a positive contact with nature and closer and deeper knowledge of Cypriots and their traditions," Michalides said. "We also contribute to the decentralisation of tourism through the promotion of problem areas," he added. He believed that Cyprus possessed all the elements necessary for developing this form oftourism. "Our aim is to make Cyprus an ideal destination for Europeans for holidays with meaning and content all year round," he added. The founder of the Natural History Museum, Photos Photiades, was honoured during the meeting.

Source: InCyprus