Deputy Ministry of Tourism (DMT) was established and operates according to the provisions of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation Law of 1969–2005 and the related Regulation on Structure and Terms of Employment and Administration and Finance. The Organisation’s objective according to the law is to organise and promote Tourism within the Republic by using all possibilities and resources available. DMT implemented the Strategic Plan for Tourism 2011–2015, which followed and enhanced the previous plan which ran from 2003-2010. The updated strategy was prepared in compliance with the general directions and the nine principles of the “Agenda for a sustainable and competitive European tourism” (COM (2007) 621) which was approved by the European Commission. The main objective of the updated strategic plan was to define and promote the comparative advantages and the specificities of Cyprus, that would allow it to be successfully repositioned on the tourist map, to lengthen the tourist season and to offer a great diversity of tourist experiences, based on a client-centric approach which took into consideration the needs and wishes of the customer. To attain this goal, numerous actions were required, including; the upgrade and enrichment of the product targeting the “Sun and Sea Plus” clientele; the creation of improved products for attracting special sections of the tourist market; and the inclusion of a series of coordinated actions aimed at improving the travel experience of visitors at the street level. The strategy also sought to maximize the use of marketing tools and new technologies for improving the image as well as the brand awareness of Cyprus in the markets, and for opening up new markets and new channels of communication and infiltration. A new National Tourism Strategy Plan is currently being drafted. It will provide for a holistic and integrated approach catering for long term planning by incorporating sustainable actions involving all stakeholders at all stages. All research conducted by DMT itself or through sub-contracting are published on DMT’s corporate website, under the category “Statistics & Research” http://www.visitcyprus.biz/. In order to strengthen its institutional capacity for information management and monitoring in support of decision and policy making, DMT launched a Tourism Observatory, which operates within the Research Unit. The Tourism Observatory provides access to a broad collection of information, data and analysis on current trends in the tourism sector. It includes the latest available figures on the sector's trends and volumes, economic impact, and the origin and profile of tourists. This is achieved through the operation of a modern integrated system of electronic documentation and dissemination of research and studies which allows users to have direct and immediate access to information and data by combining multiple forms and complex sources. The tool was developed through a co-funded project implemented within the Cross-Border Cooperation Operational Programme «Greece – Cyprus 2007-2013», co-financed by the ERDF. As a Public Law Body, DMT commits to use all its available resources with the purpose to meet all expected requirements for the successful project implementation
Key Personnel
Ms Maria Solomou
Ms Katia Demetriou
