Digital campaigns promoting Cyprus are reaching more than one billion users per year, said Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios on Wednesday.
Speaking at a conference of the Association of Travel Agents “Digi.travel – The Cyprus International Digital Tourism Conference & Expo 2023,” Perdios noted that the Deputy Ministry has turned to digital marketing and has stopped spending money on TV, radio or print advertising, as it cannot compete financially with larger markets, such as Turkey, Italy and Spain.
“We have to be very targeted and get value for money as much as possible. So, the vast majority of the marketing we are doing is now digital. It gives us the chance to be very flexible, to reach customers where they want to be reached, and through our campaigns, we reach more than one billion smartphones a year. This is a massive number”, Perdios said.
The Minister added that online searches for Cyprus have increased by 30% compared to 2019, as a result of targeted marketing.
“For a country like us which has really changed its tourism identity, there’s no better tool than the internet to spread that message,” he said.
Perdios stressed that digital marketing helped Cyprus to highlight the diversification of its tourism product from offering just “sun and sea” to being an island with rich history and culture, full of authentic experiences which are available year-round and can be found at very short distances from each other.
Referring to examples of the Deputy Ministry’s digital campaigns, Perdios cited the route “Heartland of legends” a three thousand kilometres route with authentic experiences which passes exclusively from the mountains, the rural and the remote areas of Cyprus.
“In this platform you can find all these authentic experiences, giving the opportunity to small businesses to promote themselves easily to the public. We have helped them digitalise what they are offering and make it available to the public,” said Perdios.
He also said that the Deputy Ministry has launched several schemes to help businesses go digital, by providing them with financial support.
