The government will allocate €420,00 for a new scheme to upgrade local taverns, Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios said on Wednesday, one of two tourism related measures adopted by cabinet on Wednesday.

The Council of Ministers also decided to extend an incentives programme to promote local tourism by offering discounts at hotels for two months.

“We want to upgrade and improve the image of our traditional taverns, which are at the centre of the Cypriot cuisine, in order to promote our traditional products,” he said.

He added that beneficiaries of the subsidy must be individual restaurants and not franchises with more than one establishment.

“The plan also seeks to improve our taverns’ facilities, whether it concerns their furniture, their sanitary facilities or their dining areas.

“We want to help improve the image of our traditional restaurants and our gastronomy in general. There will be no subsidy for those who want to buy plastic chairs.”

A maximum of €20,000 will be granted to each restaurant that will apply for the scheme.

The Council of Ministers also extended a special offers scheme of hotel discounts to permanent residents until the end of May, even though under the coronavirus decree hotels are still closed to local visitors.

A plan to reopen tourist accommodation is currently being discussed by the government as part of the easing of measures against coronavirus, but no decision has been announced yet.

Hotels in the island can participate in the plan supporting local tourism, which allows accommodations to offer a maximum price of €60 (including VAT) for a double room, with breakfast, per day, with a minimum stay of two nights.

The government provides a subsidy of 35 per cent of the accommodation costs.