Introduction
Tourism in Cyprus is big business. Actually it is one of the biggest economic contributors to the national economy. This Mediterranean island is perceived as the perfect island for middle age tourist and high and middle income tourist. This paper will focus on the special interest tourism and how it functions to provide an impetus to the economy of Cyprus while providing unique vacation opportunities. The tourist dollar is very important to economy of Cyprus and so is the effort to maintain the natural resources in addition to allowing as much access to tourist as possible.
SPECIAL INTEREST TOURISM IN CYPRUS
Religious:
Today Cyprus serves as center for religious monuments and culture for many faiths. Christianity has strong roots in Cyrus as the apostle Paul was imprisoned here as he wrote many of his Letters that are part of the Christian Bible. In the form of tours a traveler can walk in the steps of Paul as Christianity spread through the efforts of the first Apostles working through the Holy Spirit . The tradition continued with many holy people and led to Cyprus being called the "Island of Saints". In addition, Barnabas the first Archbishop and one of the first martyrs of the church, was stoned to death in the outskirts of Cyrus town, Salamina. His tomb is one of the many religious attractions for faith based tours.
Athletic Tourism
Cyprus contains many natural geographic features that lend themselves to sports and recreation. There are special bicycling events, golf, swimming and sailing, of course, because it is an island. Many miles of hiking will offer trails for the most inexperienced hiker to those looking for the many geographical terrains to make the hike challenging .
The sports attractions involve large groups also. Since the British selected the island to host the training area for the Olympic Games in 2004, more large group sports events are held in Cyprus due to the conducive climate.
Health Tourism-
There are two major types of health tours to Cyprus one for medical professionals seeking to help those in Cyprus and to perfect their own knowledge through the conferences. These tours are consistently attracting professionals to increase their skills and to help the poor of Cyprus while learning the skills needed by organizations such as Doctors without Borders.
The other is by people seeking an increased health benefit in the climate and global environment in Cyprus . Tourist tend to seek the health benefits and flock to tours that offer increased access to health facilities. This has created a need for Cyprus to accept health insurance from many providers to pay for the services that the increased number of ill tourists come to Cyprus. These tourists tend to be retiring baby boomers which tax the Cyprus healthcare delivery system.
Conference Tourism
Conference is a relatively new form of tourism for Cyprus and many new ventures are being built to accommodate this tourist. Cyprus is 49th in the world in conference centers. Most of their four and five hotels accommodate the conferences.
Tourism is a growing sector of the economy of Cyprus and these large conferences are especially important. This type of tourism has spillover effects on the economy because not only to employees enjoy the conference but also sill spend additional time in the island as a tourist. Many conference attendees spend the extra days enjoying the restaurants, sports, facilities, religious sites so as to add the local economy.
Ecotourism
Ecotourism gives the tourist a chance to live and enjoy the life of a farmer, cattle rancher, and a shepherd. The Ecotourism take the tourist out into the farms and country for a taste of that lifestyle. . The tourist will experience Cyprus in this types of a tour by milking cows, feeding sheep and other tasks that farmers do in their everyday life. The tourist will also eat from the land in typical rustic dishes prepared at the farms.
Many of the tourist are involved in the sustainability efforts of corporations. the actual impact of the environment that had in the past been abused by corporations is viewed in a perspective of future growth. For example, the tourist will learn how important clean water is to the natural habitat in Cyprus and so the tourist gains a knowledge that translate to them not continuing destructive environmental pollution.
Agrotourism
Cyprus has many countryside resorts featuring villas and communities in traditional villages that accommodate the tourist who wants to experience the local culture . The tourist is welcomed as a local and eats, sleeps and visits learning of the life of Cyprus from the locals. The tourist is communing more with nature and the natural beauty rather than the large hotels and conference centers. The tourist has an opportunity to experience many facets of tourism such as staying in a monastery, hiking on the natural trails, eating the local dishes, and many other experiences.
Social Tourism
Social tourism is a highly desirable initiative that is led by the Ministry of Labor who offers stipends to the employees in Cyprus to spend on vacationing . Social tourism is an important aspect to eh economy because it keeps the traditional tourist attractions full of people. Without this initiative some tourist places would remain vacant and no revenue would be flowing. the lack of tourist in any area is of concern .
Social tourism takes on a new meaning in the context of social media. The Ministry has lead initiatives for social media but the best social media inputs are by the tourist themselves. YouTube videos allow prospective tourist to see the fun and realistic adventures that awaits in Cyprus by actual tourist is a wonderful addition to the official social media. The many tourist organizations encourage tourist to post their videos and pictures to the official sites also.
Adventure
Adventure tourism in Cyprus is not for the faint of heart. Adventure tourism involves expeditions to the natural resources such as mountains for hiking and mountain biking. the trails tend to challenge even the most fit hikers. There are gradual levels of complexity to appeal to all skill levels. Rock climbing, trekking, snorkeling, and even snow sports round out the offerings of adventure sports .
The adventure tourist often is an ecotourist also as the areas of natural beauty are accessed by both. In the adventure tourism, the tourist rents a 4x4 jeep and becomes part of a caravan going into areas not normally accessed by locals or tourist. These areas are the homes of large mammals that live abundantly in this healthy climate. Relics and mythological artifacts are seen in a natural setting. The tours are not recommended for pregnant women or those with disabilities as the tours tend to be physically taxing. churches and monasteries are on the tour as they are located in the remote areas.
Nature Tourism
Cyprus is particularly endowed with many natural resources from the seas to the mountains. Keeping this area pristine and unpolluted are of concern to the government and owners of the tourist attractions. In an effort to preserve the natural resources, the Cyprus Tourism Organization and the Forestry department work with many sustainability groups to plan and orchestrate programs for environmentally save programs .
The natural beauty of Cyprus is well worth preservation and many are generating great opportunities for sustainability programs. The governments, tourist groups, and naturist are all of the same mind that the beauty of the land is an economic and renew producing resource. the mindset by all groups is to encourage tourist to participate in environmentally safe activities while enjoying the landscape and preserving it for future groups.
Marine Tourism
Marine tourism abounds in the extraordinary beauty of the coast of Cyprus. This terrific beauty makes it a perfect destination for those tourist seeking to bask in the sun and seas offered in Cyprus. There is an abundance of tours on both vessels and for swimming an d snorkeling to places not on the normal tourist paths.
Coastal and maritime tourism accounts for over $183 billion in tourist revenue . The European coalition is attempting to strengthen the organizations that offer tourist opportunities to explore the coastal areas. Attempts are being started to encourage cooperation among the many different groups that make up the tourist industry.
The goals of maritime tourism is multi faceted in that the protection of the environment is an important asses to the European economy and all attempts need to be made to preserve the natural habitats of the environment. Fisheries provide income for commercial fishermen and this is also an economic activity in Cyprus so the goal is to compliment the activities of both sectors to preserve and maximize the natural resources.
Conclusion
Cyprus is one of the most visited countries in Europe for good reason for the tourist. The ten types of tourism that were discussed in the paper work together to form a great tourist destination and the economy grows with the much anticipated tourist dollars.
The bulk of the tourist dollar comes from conferences and the country has expended many dollars to the expansion and recruitment of the conference industry. The conference industry brings large numbers of tourist to Cyprus which the other facets of the industry reap the benefits.
Once the tourist is in Cyprus, the draw to enjoy the other attractions is natural. For the adventuresome the natural trails and bodies of water add to the social media postings of vacations. Once travelers see the social media posts they find themselves desiring these experiences on their vacations.
One would be remised not to visit the religious attractions that Cyprus is home. Monasteries open their doors to tourist and include the religious services as part of the experience. The beginnings of many religious are found in Cyprus so the relics and historical significance of the area to the religious traveler is outstanding.
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