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PROMOTING CYPRUS IN THE MIDDLE EAST:
Cyprus: Attracting Middle East Travellers
Business & Tourism Guide visits Cyprus and highlights the country's tourist atttractions among Middle East tourists...
By Naved Hasan in Dubai
The Mediterranean island of Cyprus is expecting a massive increase of 18 per cent in visitor arrivals from the Middle East in 2006 according to officials of the Cyprus Tourism Organsiation (CTO).
The Business & Tourism Guide Series was among the first publications to focus on Cyprus in the Middle East and highlight its potential as top tourist destination.
Cyprus Tourism Organization opened a representative office in Dubai to promote the country's tourism sector in the Middle East region. The office was inaugurated by the Director-General of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) Khalid bin Sulayem and Photis Photiou, Chairman of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.
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| Cyprus Tourism Organisation has been attending trade fairs and exhibitions in the Middle East to attract tourists from the region |
"This is the first tourist office for Cyprus in the Middle East and the Gulf region and Dubai was carefully selected from the rest of the countries in the Middle East as we believe it is the ideal place," said Photis Photiou. "We expect that with the opening of this office, there will be an increase in the number of tourists from the Gulf region and the Middle East to Cyprus," he said.
Nearly 500,000 tourists from Middle East visited Cyprus in 2005 and the number has been steadily increasing over the last few years. "We are optimistic that 2006 will be a better year on the whole with arrivals from the Middle East set for further increase," said Photis Photiou.
Cyprus has also been aggressive in attracting travellers from the Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibitions (MICE) sector - taking advantage of the short flying times from the Middle East. "many of our visitors are impressed by the quality of our hotels and services offered to meet the demands of the most discerning clients - whether for business or leisure. "In fact, in recent years, we have had a surge in the number of incentive groups coming from the Middle East, which used the proximity of Cyprus to their advantage," said Photis Photiou.
A second cause of celebration has been the growth in sports tourism. Cyprus has benefitted from the large number of athletes and soccer clubs that have chosen Cyprus for their training during summer months in the Middle East. Key infrastructure projects for boosting sports tourism include the refurbishment of the Limassol swimming pool, construction of a Palaiase de Sport and launching of new projects for canoeing, water ski and sailing centres.
Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) continues to work with key regional tour operators and promote its interests through an intense marketing campaign throughout the Middle East.
| SPECIAL THANKS TO: |
Cyprus Tourism Organisation
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The Only Magazine Of Its Kind in The Middle East |
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