Vouni, Kalopanayiotis and Steni given tourism award (updated)

The villages of Vouni, Kalopanayiotis and Steni are the first to receive the Colourful Villages award, recently established by the deputy ministry of tourism.

Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios presented the awards at a ceremony on Monday in Vouni.

On Tuesday the deputy ministry said the award aims at developing a new culture in the villages in relation to the importance and value of preserving and enhancing their special identity, their natural wealth and their cultural heritage, while promoting a bundle of benefits for the local communities.

“We thus aim to promote agrotourism activities and stays as well as nature and culture tourism, by enriching the visitor’s spectrum of activities through authentic and unique experiences and by reinvigorating the traditions that spread across the Cypriot countryside,” it said.

In his remarks during the event, Perdios said he will further promote the awarded villages, both on the island and abroad, to increase their number of visitors.

Accepting the award, community leader of Steni Elias Lampidis said he was proud of the work carried out over the years in the village.

“Everyone in Steni always strives for the best in order to make the experience for visitors as pleasant as possible,” he told the Cyprus News Agency.

He added that people living in Steni pay particular attention to their gardens, hence the Colourful Village award is fully deserved.

“We have also received many awards in the past for our cleanliness,” he said. “This year’s recognition will just push us in our efforts to improve even further.”