Cyprus’ cabinet on Thursday approved five tourism incentive schemes covering Kato Pyrgos, conferences, foreign sports teams, rural experiences and Christmas villages, seeking to attract visitors beyond the island’s established resorts and busy summer months.

Tourism Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis announced the measures following the cabinet meeting, explaining that they aim to develop specialist tourism, enrich the services available to visitors and increase tourism flows towards less popular areas.

The largest targeted investment is a €1.5 million grant scheme for hotels, tourist accommodation and leisure centres operating in Kato Pyrgos Tyllirias.

Under the programme, which will run from 2026 to 2028, businesses will be able to receive funding covering 85 per cent of eligible expenditure on improvement projects.

Koumis described the scheme as a “targeted intervention” for an area which, despite its natural and cultural strengths, continues to face development difficulties.

He added that it represented “practical proof” of the Christodoulides government’s commitment to supporting the country’s remote border communities.

Meanwhile, the cabinet approved four-year incentive schemes designed to strengthen Cyprus’ conference and sports tourism markets.

The conference tourism programme, covering 2026 – 2029, will have an annual budget of €150,000. According to Koumis, its main change is its four-year duration, which “allows organisers to plan their events in Cyprus well in advance”.

Conference tourism is regarded as a high-value segment of the market, while events held outside the peak holiday season can also bring business to hotels, restaurants and other tourism operators during quieter months.

A separate programme with an annual budget of €400,000 will seek to bring foreign sports teams to Cyprus for training and preparation.

It will be open to overseas teams, clubs, federations and academies, as well as tour operators and licensed travel agencies. This scheme will also run from 2026 to 2029, allowing longer-term planning by teams and organisers.

In addition, the cabinet approved €100,000 a year for experiential workshops involving traditional crafts, the processing of agricultural and livestock products, and wine and gastronomy.

Koumis said the programme would connect tourism with “tradition, local production and the promotion of an authentic experience”, while showcasing the productive and gastronomic identity of the Cypriot countryside.

The fifth scheme will provide €640,000 for Christmas villages in 2027, supporting festive events intended to strengthen winter tourism and draw visitors to rural and mountainous communities.

Koumis described the Christmas villages as an established institution which brings “multiple benefits to local communities”.

The conference, sports, workshop and Christmas village schemes carry combined funding of €1.29m, alongside the three-year €1.5m programme for Kato Pyrgos.

Finally, the deputy minister stressed that the measures were “not isolated actions”, but part of a wider government strategy to reduce tourism seasonality, develop specialist forms of tourism, broaden the services available to visitors and spread tourism activity across the countryside, mountain communities and remote areas.