Cyprus Minister of Tourism, Savvas Perdios, spoke to Travel Bulletin about the Heartland of Legends and the destinations pivotal relationship with the UK market.
"It's great to be back at WTM to such an extent. In all honestly, even during the pandemic, as a destination, we've been travelling a lot, making sure that we stay in touch with our collaborators. It's really amazing to see so many people at World Travel Market."
On the recently-launched 'Heartland of Legends' campaign, Perdios elaborated: "For us, the Heartland of Legends represents everything that we are trying to change in terms of tourism identity in Cyprus. It's the focal point of our new tourism identity.
"This tourism identity talks about Cyprus being a country rich in history and culture, but above all, full of authentic experiences that can be enjoyed year-round, are accessible to all, and can be found at close proximity to each other.
"This is what is unique about Cyprus, the fact that being a small country, in terms of area means that all of these authentic experiences, they're found very closely with each other, you don't need a lot of driving to get from one to the other.
"The social aspect of the Heartland of Legends is that it pays a lot of attention to the local community. It's our way to ruralise travel, bring locals together with visitors, and it's a platform for us to reduce inequalities, young people's unemployment, and encourage female entrepreneurship especially. It helps us encourage and support small businesses to embrace commerce, and it allows us to pay a lot of attention to small local producers.
"The Heartland of Legends is something that brings to life everything that is authentic about Cyprus."
The 'Heartland of Legends' was a launch inspired by pandemic travel habits, with the Minister elaborating, "We have totally repurposed why we do what we do. Before the pandemic, it used to be all about more arrivals, more money... that's not why we exist now. We exist now to bring tourism to the whole island, making sure that our local communities benefit from tourism. This new approach is something that we had in mind to create this even before the pandemic, but the pandemic just really shone a spotlight on this.
"It's a very diverse offering. The good thing about it and the way we've set it up is that it can be relatable to adventure travel, to rural tourism, to religious travel, to nature travel, and you get the chance to try out the gastronomy and everything else Cyprus is known for.
"Next year, we're launching Heartland of Legends buses. It's going to be similar to the hop-on hop-off buses you see in London. They'll be branded under the Heartland of Legends campaign, and they will be electric. People will have the chance to hop from experience to experience and village to village. For hikers and cyclists, they'll be able to carry their luggage as well."
With Jet2.com and many others boosting capacity for Cyprus escapes next year, the Minister praised the response of the UK market, explaining: "To hear airlines adding connectivity to Cyprus is great to hear. It's even better to hear they're planning so far ahead, we're talking 18 months down the line. In the UK, even in December, we have 65 flights a week. In general, all of this work that we have done for Cyprus, making sure we're pushing out a more authentic message, has been met with airlines, especially short- to mid-haul, adding more capacity.
"After the pandemic, we feel our best approach to the UK market is increasing our exposure, especially with regards to the winter months. From November 26th to January 15th, we're decorating seven villages with Christmas lighting and decorations, with handicraft and gastronomy workshops, nature walks, and guided tours. We're showing the other side of Cyprus as well, so visitors understand our role in season-round trade."
On his personal recommendation for excursions and activities, the Minister added: It's a difficult choice... personally, I love hopping from village to village, whether in a bus or car or hiking. Every village is so different. I love that really authentic hospitality of the locals, which sometimes gets lost in translation when you're at a resort.
"On that note, we are certifying villages as Colourful Villages, verifying their cleanliness, the colours, and the authentic nature of their experiences. We've already certified six (Kalopanagiotis, Steni, Vouni, Arsos, Kritou Terra and Lania) and we will soon certify another 20 or 25 more."
