Pafos sustainable gold: greened beaches, great breakfasts, village routes

The ancient capital during the Roman occupation of the island, Quality-Coast Gold awarded Pafos, will be a very green European Capital of Culture 2017.

One of the destinations featured in the Top100 sustainable destinations at ITB  – Pafos is a region which encompasses a diverse, all year round, tourist product, and as such attracts the majority of visitors to the island. The tourism infrastructure serves the needs of all age ranges and social interests from young couples, families, mature travelers, the individual traveler, special interest groups, and it is also ideal for conferences and incentives. 

The region is well served by the New Pafos International airport and offers  a variety of outstanding hotels to suit varying price ranges, coupled with good quality customer service. 

There is a broad range of recreational activities, especially for families, some stunning rural areas off the beaten tracks, a national conservation park, UNESCO historical/cultural /religious tourism, excellent and welcoming local winemakers.

The area also boasts another key element which is an enviable climate, with more than 300 days of sun, allowing the destination to offer exceptional seasonal activities all year round.

Most of the hoteliers in the region have been awarded international certifications on environmental and other quality issues!

Pafos’ many projects towards being a more sustainable destination include:

Quality Coast Award-GOLD MEDAL FOR PAFOS…

Pafos is well known around the world as the birthplace of Aphrodite and as a destination which combines stunning natural scenery, historical interest and a scenic coastline.

Now it has another special feature: the Gold Medal in the European competition "QUALITY COAST", which named Pafos as one of the 20 most sustainable tourism destinations in Europe, out of 1000 candidates. 

"QUALITY COAST " insignia is awarded to coastal areas that share the same values, and implement practices for the management of their coastal areas and improve their policies concerning the protection of the coastal environment, cultural heritage and social structures.

http://www.qualitycoast.info/cyprus.htm

Blue Flag beaches…

Pafos region has 12 blue flag beaches and in close collaboration with all stakeholders ensures standards of the Blue Flag are maintained internationally.

For the coastal environment, water quality, safety and access for all: the Blue Flag represents a serious commitment to both people and the environment.

A world-renowned eco-label trusted by millions around the globe, the Blue Flag programme is operated under the auspices of the Foundation for Environmental Education and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In order to qualify for this prestigious award, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety-related and access-related criteria must be met and maintained.

http://www.blueflag.global/

Greening  of beaches…

Polis Chrysochou beach on the northern part of Pafos is currently being environmentally improved under the ‘Greening Cyprus Beaches’ eco-initiative.  Around 500 and 200 endemic bushes and flowers have recently been planted along the seaside pedestrian road in Polis Chrysochous fulfilling one of the criteria required in order to become a green beach. This particular area as well as other beaches will soon begin to implement the rest of the criteria required, by providing traditional locally made clay ashtrays, place green directory signage, installing more bins for general waste and recycling..

A handbook has been issued for beach managers to help make beaches greener. It provides practical tips, checklists, case studies and other information around ten categories including sand and water quality, vegetation and planting, ‘green’ signage and facilities, locally sourced food and drink, and public information and education.

"Cyprus Breakfast" in Pafos Hotels

The establishment of a brand for the promotion of the Pafos hotel industry which aims to focus on the local gastronomic culture and heritage, as the core differentiation factor that can sustain a competitive advantage for the hotel industry and the destination in the international travel market.

The Cyprus Breakfast project was implemented in Pafos last year and is now extended in most of the Pafos hotels.

The Interregional Cooperation Programme INTERREG, financed by the European Union’s Regional Development Fund, helps Regions of Europe work together to share experience and good practice in the areas of innovation, the knowledge economy, the environment and risk prevention. 

The CHARTS PROGRAMME

Pafos has recently completed CHARTS programme is a Regional Initiative project focused on the role of culture and heritage in the formulation and delivery of added-value to regional strategies for sustainable tourism development and integration into local, regional, national and EU policies.

http://www.charts-interreg4c.eu/project/

Cyprus Village Routes

Further development of the tourism industry in Pafos has defined a need to regenerate the rural economy and bring back growth to the less developed villages .

Pafos since year 2000 is investing on Rural tourism  and its been very successful to design and introduce  a series of very unique experiences in Rural Pafos.  Nature trails, cultural trails, wine routes, cultural events, DIY tours and much more have been very popular.  At the moment there are many projects running to introduce food tours, appraise existing walking trails, upgrade religious routes and more!    

CHRISTA – Latest news

Paphos is now a partner in ‘CHRISTA’ – Culture and Heritage for Responsible, Innovative and Sustainable Tourism Actions.

Paphos is also a lead partner in the European Network of Cultural Tourism (European Cultural Tourism Network – ECTN), which is based in Brussels, and has been a member since 2012 and represented on the board since 2014.

Other partners include various bodies from central Macedonia, Veneto – Italy, Vastra Giotalant – Sweden, Granada – Spain, Vintzeme – Ave Guimaraes – Portugal, Sibiu – Romania and Burgas – Bulgaria.

Nasos Hadjigeorgiou, the head of the Paphos regional board of tourism said "Paphos continues to make a significant contribution to cultural tourism, taking advantage of the European programs and as a member of ECTN. The new project will examine the synergies of culture and heritage in innovation and sustainable tourism development, and will draw up an ‘action plan’. We expect to launch the programme and for important partners to visit Paphos during the period of the Cultural Capital 2017," he said.

CHRISTA has a budget of €1.8m for the period April 2016 – March 2020.The Paphos budget is €175,000.

For more information please visit the website http://www.visitpafos.org.cy

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle [email protected]