The head of the Paphos regional board of tourism, Nasos Hadjigeorgiou, told the Cyprus Mail that the initiative was organised by Ukrainian tour operators and Attica holidays Cyprus, who work with Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Jordan and Armenia.
“This weekend workshop has the support of the CTO (Cyprus Tourism Organisation) and hoteliers, and it is giving the Ukrainian travel agents, of which there are a hundred, a chance to get to know Cyprus and also what Paphos has to offer.”
The weekend will consist of a range of activities and excursions including, trips to various areas and cultural sights, as well as a ‘Cyprus night.’
During their stay in Paphos, the Ukrainian agents will also have the opportunity to meet with industry partners, said the local tourist head.
“Ukraine isan important market for us, along with our other source markets, and we are looking to expand into our target markets wherever possible. We have had clients from Ukraine for the last ten years and this initiative is an effort to create awareness and bring business people together.”
According to Hadjigeorgiou, there have been ‘on and off’ flights offered in the past, connecting the coastal town with Ukraine, and this is something the initiative aims to address.
“Our aim is to have direct flights between Paphos and Ukraine, at least to cover the summer period this year,” he said.
“We are delighted to participate in such an event, and promotional material concerning Paphos and Cyprus, both printed and electronic will be distributed.”
Hadjigeorgiou noted that the Ukrainian market showed an overall increase of 23% in Cyprus in 2015, while arrivals were at more than 51,000. He said that careful forward planning to target specific markets should be undertaken every year in an effort to glean results.
“So far, forward tourism planning has seen an increase ahead of the 2016 season, but it is too early yet to see precisely if this will bring a substantial increase in visitor numbers for the summer season. But obviously, this is our aim.”
The conference and workshop will end on Sunday.
Source: Cyprus Mail
