Limassol cements role as conference tourism leader in Cyprus

The Limassol tourism board on Thursday held a press conference to officially welcome the upcoming M&I Europe Summer Forum, a major event that is due to take place between August 30 and September 2, cementing the city’s leading role in the conference sector.

Aside from representatives of the Limassol tourism board (Etal), the press conference also saw addresses by Orestis Aristides, the president of the Cyprus Incentives and Meetings Associates (CIMA), Nick Aristou, the executive director of the Four Seasons hotel in Limassol, and Klea Symeou, managing director of Sassy Events International.

This flagship forum will bring 150 global suppliers and 160 buyers from the United Kingdom and Europe in MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) tourism to Cyprus. While on the island, participants will engage in three days of immersive networking.

The event will be structured in such a way as to allow attendees to network across 40 meetings, while delegates will also be able to experience the city of Limassol through various discovery and networking activities, allowing them to further develop their connection in a more informal setting.

“Limassol, as a cosmopolitan Mediterranean seaside destination, with a unique identity, based on its rich history and culture, its inviting characteristics, impeccable tourist infrastructure and convenient location, is an ideal destination for events and incentives travel,” the local tourism board said in a statement.

“It’s worth mentioning that Limassol maintains the lion’s share of conferences and events at a national level, which will be further enhanced by the addition of the impressive conference centre of higher capacity at City of Dreams Mediterranean,” it added.

Tony Antoniou, the chairman of the Limassol tourism board, explained that it is “a great honour for Limassol to have been chosen as the host city for the forum, which will have multiplying benefits for our local tourism sector”.

“The forum represents a shining example of the targetted, private-sector initiatives to promote Cyprus as a tourist destination, which will benefit the entire industry,” he added.

Antoniou further noted that conference tourism is very valuable due to it not being affected by the adverse effects of seasonality, which disproportionally impacts traditional holiday tourism.

“Limassol, with its exceptional hotel infrastructure, state-of-the-art infrastructure and equipment, as well as all necessary support services, combined with its natural beauty, remains a leading city in the sector of conference tourism,” Antoniou said.

“For the Limassol tourism board, the creation of a large-capacity conference centre had been a key objective since its inception, and with the delivery of the City of Dreams Mediterranean integrated resort, this has finally been achieved,” he added.

During his own address, Aristou noted that “conference tourism is the last sector of the tourism industry which has yet to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

In this context, he expressed hope that the upcoming forum will serve as a vital springboard for the sector’s much-awaited recovery.

Meanwhile, Drakos DMC Director and CIMA board president Orestis Aristides stressed that conference and corporate incentive tourism remains as one of the most important pillars of the Cypriot tourism product.

“Our association (CIMA) represents over 30 members, including hoteliers, DMCs, and PCOs engaged in conference and corporate incentive tourism,” he said.

“The purpose of our association is to promote Cyprus as a destination for conferences, corporate trips, and international MICE events,” he added.

To this end, Aristides told the Cyprus Mail that the benefits of conference and corporate incentive tourism are manifold.

These include winter tourism, both in and out of peak season; high-value visitors (such as doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and IT firms); and a packed itinerary with activities and dinners beyond hotels, thus benefiting the entire economic chain.

In addition, he stated that “high-ranking company executives visit and get to know Cyprus, possibly returning in the future with their families or for business activities”.

The CIMA president continued by noting that Cyprus has comparative advantages for attracting this type of tourism.

One of these advantages, he explained, is the island’s pleasant weather almost year-round, with the conference and incentives industry specifically benefiting from the generally mild weather exhibited during its key months of October, November, March, and April.

“In addition, we have very good facilities and hotels, now further enriched by the City of Dreams Mediterranean,” he said.

Aristides also underlined that “all stakeholders will collaborate to showcase the best that Cyprus has to offer to the MICE forum attendees”.

“In general, all entities will work together to enhance the quality of our tourism product,” the CIMA president concluded.