The Troodos tourism development and promotion company on Thursday launched the Troodos Geopark Partner programme.

This new initiative aims to promote the region’s tourism product and cultural heritage by integrating it with local businesses and gastronomy.

“The inclusion of Troodos in the Global Geoparks Network in recent years was a significant event for the region,” the company said.

“Today, local food service, tourism, and local product businesses have an important role to play in highlighting and capitalising on this status,” it added.

This context provides the backdrop for the company’s new initiative to create a new cooperation programme named Troodos Geopark Partner.

According to the announcement, the programme is funded by the Troodos development company’s local development strategy, specifically through the LEADER initiative’s Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.

The goal of the programme is to undertake actions that promote the Troodos Geopark’s tourism product and showcase its cultural heritage, linking it with local gastronomy.

In practice, local businesses, through their dining establishments and visitable handicraft workshops, provide opportunities to inform and promote the geological, ecological, and cultural value of Troodos, thereby achieving multiplier benefits for its tourism development.

Businesses that voluntarily join the programme agree to meet a series of requirements aimed at ensuring they provide information and updates to customers regarding the geological, gastronomic, and environmental value of Troodos.

Additionally, participants must commit to informing customers about Troodos points of interest, and crucially, promoting and selling local agri-food products while connecting them with the traditional gastronomy of the mountain communities.

The criteria for participation in the programme cover food service businesses, local product shops, and visitable handicraft workshops, and are available online.