The Government continues to support the promotion of Cypriot traditional products, Deputy Minister of Tourism Costas Koumis said on Friday, adding that the benefits from tourism must be spread throughout the local community.
He also noted that ‘2025 seems to be another record year for our country’s tourism, with the first ten months of the year recording an increase of 11.1%, compared to the previous year’s arrivals and 34.2% over a three-year period.’
In his address at the 3rd CyFood B2B Forum, organized on Friday in Larnaca, he said that this initiative ‘has evolved into an extremely valuable institution and aims to highlight local products and our gastronomic identity’.
He added that ‘today’s event, with the planned Business to Business meetings, visits to producers, thematic presentations and specialized tasting workshops, proves that our country has not only high-quality products, but also a rapidly developing cooperation ecosystem.’
‘We are now witnesses and followers of new trends in the field of tourism. The new international trend in the sector that we all serve together is the search for authentic experiences,’ he said, and noted that ‘travelers are now looking for, during their visits to the destinations they choose, authentic – local experiences and Cypriot gastronomy can undoubtedly offer such experiences even to the most demanding traveler.’
Cypriot cuisine, he continued, ‘is one of the most authentic and valuable elements of our tourist identity. It is the living expression of tradition, nature and the people of our country and, therefore, it is a strategic priority for the Government to highlight gastronomy as a key axis of the tourist experience and sustainable development.’
The Deputy Minister of Tourism also said that the connection of tourism with local production, Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) products and the flavors that characterize each region of our country, are a central goal in our efforts to create a tourism product that showcases our authenticity and gastronomic identity.
The Government, he noted, ‘continues this year to support the promotion of Cypriot traditional products, with the relevant funds from the Deputy Ministry of Tourism’s schemes being increased for next year”.
For the scheme concerning the organization of wine and gastronomy events and local products in communities, an increased budget is now recorded, while the budget for subsidizing experiential traditional handicraft workshops has also been increased, he concluded.