The appreciation that the tourism sector needs to be enriched with foreign labor force, taking into account the increasing tourist arrivals in Cyprus, which require additional hands in the industry, was expressed today by Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumi.
Speaking after a tour of the Protaras and Ayia Napa areas, Koumi said, “The results so far for tourism indicate an upward trend. Quarterly results show an increase of over 5% compared to the previous year despite the fact that we also have increased arrivals in the tourist resort of Protaras.”
He added, “We have upgrades on the beaches and the services offered have been renewed, which is something we welcome as the Ministry of Tourism.”
Asked about the issue of the presence of workers from third countries in tourism businesses, Koumi replied, “It would certainly be preferable to have our compatriots in every position in the tourism industry. However, we cannot do without foreign labor, and this is evidenced by the numbers.”
Tourism in our country, he explained, “recorded an increase from just over 4 million arrivals in 2016 to almost four million in 2023. All these increasing arrivals require additional hands in the industry. We are a country with a limited population, so it is necessary to enrich the tourism sector with foreign labor.”
“What matters,” continued the Deputy Minister, “is that these people are properly trained before entering the industry or during their work so that the quality of hospitality does not decline. We are now focusing on the area of ​​training, as well as on the area of ​​education in relation to the development of tourism education, which is why we embrace institutions such as the ‘Pausanias the Traveller 2024’ Student Competition.”
“For me,” Koumi stated, “it is very important for the new generation of our country to understand which sectors contribute to the economy, what sensitivities characterize these sectors, and to receive the right messages.”
In another question, Koumi replied, “The Ministry of Tourism works tirelessly to have another successful tourist year. Additionally, we emphasize the upgrading of the offered tourism product.”
As he explained, “We are trying to exploit every opportunity arising from the Recovery and Resilience Fund. We have announced some incentive plans in specific geographical areas of Cyprus, areas that, of course, allow us to proceed with tenders according to the Fund. What we expect is that these specific plans will be utilized by local authorities in order to have continuous upgrading of the tourism product.”
As the Deputy Minister of Tourism said, “it is very important for everyone to realize that the increase in competitiveness is imperative, the increase in the attractiveness of destinations is imperative. If we want to have better days in tourism, we must all cooperate so that the level of competitiveness of the services offered increases.”
Asked about adventure tourism, Koumi said, “this is a special form of tourism that is experiencing an upward trend globally, and we, as the Ministry of Tourism, are trying to benefit from this upward trend. This could be done in the Cape Greco area where there is a specific altitude, but perhaps it may not be feasible in that particular area,” he concluded.
