Paphos tourism board approves budget for 2023

The Paphos tourism board (Etap) this week announced that it has approved a higher budget for 2023, allowing it to implement a wider scope of actions and activities, in accordance with the national strategy which seeks to prioritise the creation of a sustainable tourism destination.

According to a statement from the board following a general meeting, the outgoing year has been deemed as one of the most important in the organisation’s history, especially after its significant contribution to Paphos’ successful attempt at being chosen by the EU as the 2023 European capital of smart tourism, a distinction it shares with Seville.

Regarding Paphos’ selection as the European capital of smart tourism, the board used the meeting to present a detailed analysis of how it provided know-how and assistance through the allocation of human resources throughout the application process and subsequent campaign.

Moreover, Etap president Kyriacos Drousiotis congratulated the board’s manager Nasos Hadjigeorgiou and the rest of the organisation’s staff for their efforts.

“In the 2023 action plan, the board’s focus continues to be the upgrading of Paphos’ tourist product and the experience offered to visitors, to the digitisation of information and the use of new technologies, and certainly to the intensive campaign and public relations inside and outside Cyprus to promote the Pafos District as a tourist destination,” the board said.

What is more, the board reviewed and took decisions on a number of issues pertaining to its next steps and actions for 2023, including a collaborative initiative with Neapolis university to carry out a study to highlight the myth of Aphrodite throughout the district, as well as a study for the preparation of a digital marketing strategy for Paphos.

Furthermore, the 2023 budget was presented in detail, prior to its approval, combined with a presentation and analysis of the board’s financial results for the year 2021.

The board also presented information on various funding programmes, including national schemes and programmes on the European level, allowing the board to claim more than €850,000 after the submission of various proposals. The meeting also touched on the launch of a road safety campaign for cyclists and motorists, as well as other various informative and current affairs.

Finally, the board also decided to examine and send specific requests to various government ministries in order to secure funding to meet its various other needs, particularly those that have arisen after Paphos was selected as the European smart tourism capital.