Tourism Ministry’s Budget outlines support for sector’s businesses in 2025

A series of actions and projects to support, highlight and strengthen tourism in Cyprus, is anticipated to be promoted and implemented in 2025 by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, according to its Budget, as it was recently submitted to the Parliament for discussion and voting.

Among other things, the Deputy Ministry will carry out advertising campaigns in priority markets, while promoting various tourist promotion and information actions for the tourist destination of Cyprus, for special forms of tourism and for the promotion of Cyprus in general.

The Deputy Ministry will also continue to implement a series of projects to support tourist businesses, as well as to strengthen the tourism product of Cyprus, while at the same time it will carry out studies for mapping the diving spots in Cyprus, while working towards the development of mountain sports resorts, for health tourism and for the sustainability.

The planned actions

According to an explanatory note accompanying the State Budget for 2025, the budget of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism (€65,547,000) includes €27,677,000 intended to cover:

1. Cooperation with tourism partners abroad, including airlines.
2. Carrying out advertising campaigns in priority markets, as defined in the business plan and includes advertising actions in various electronic or other advertising media, such as advertising actions in Online Travel Agencies (Online Travel Agencies - OTA) and in other media, such as external advertising and print, as well as material production.
3. Tourist promotion and information actions:

• With reference to the tourist destination of Cyprus, which will becarried out, either through the Foreign Offices, or through actions of the Administration, such as the organisation of public relations, information and promotion events, aimed at tourism industry operators and the public.
• Regarding specific forms of tourism such as conference, wedding, golf, religious, rural tourism, diving, including joint promotional actions with tour operators, as well as collaborations with various agencies/associations and other partners.
• General tourist promotion events, including events related to plans and programs of the Deputy Ministry.

1. The production of appropriate promotional material, in every possible format available, that covers the wider spectrum of tourism, for the implementation of electronic and other advertising campaigns, the creation of templates of creative materials, creation/adaptation of technical material, writing of texts, etc. and includes material related to hospitality, tourist awareness and tourism professions.

It also includes covering the cost of "Search Engine Optimisation", with the aim of increasing the visibility of the Ministry's digital media in search engines.

1. The development and promotion of the "Authentic Routes-Heartland of Legends" program (promotional films, photographs, banners, flags, posters, prizes for contests, preparation/editing of promotional texts/articles for the website, promotion on social media and other advertising campaigns).
2. "Aphrodite" Cultural Route, which includes the redesign and construction of signs, audio guides, photography, planting flowers, advertisements on social media, etc.
3. Information actions, related to the employment sector in the tourism industry, as well as for the events related to awarding businesses/professionals, distinguished in specific branches of the tourism sector.
4. Display/advertisement of the plans included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
5. Advertising collaborations with partners, who have a clear relationship with the tourist product, through joint actions, mainly through advertising exchanges.
6. Guided tours with a licensed guide, following requests from Government Services, Local Government Authorities, schools, higher education institutions, tourist offices, professional associations, airlines, foreign embassies in Cyprus, etc.

Schemes and grants

Besides, the budget also includes €12,396,000 intended to cover:

• €10.711.000 Plans to promote special forms of tourism. Part of the projects fall under the de minimis state aid regulation:
  1. Grant Scheme for foreign sports teams, groups, associations, and federations for training and preparation in Cyprus - De Minimis
  2. Grant Scheme for the organisation of international sports events in Cyprus - De Minimis
  3. Convention Tourism Incentive Plans to attract convention tourism by supporting the promotional actions of the Cyprus convention industry - De Minimis.
  Specifically: Plan (a) for the organisation of conferences/meetings, (b) for the realisation of incentive trips and (c) for product launch events in Cyprus.
  4. Event Grant Scheme for the promotion of gastronomy and local products - De Minimis.
  5. Plan for the certification of recreational diving service providers based on the requirements of the CYS EN ISO 24803:2017 standard.
  6. Grant Scheme to encourage projects for the qualitative and aesthetic upgrading of the beaches.
  7. Grant Scheme for investments to enrich and modernise the tourist product to extend the tourist season.
  8. Grant Scheme for improving accessibility infrastructure, environmental awareness and creation / upgrading of infrastructure of special interests - De Minimis.
  9. Grant Scheme for participation in training programs of the World Tourism Organisation - De Minimis.
  10. Grant Scheme for the digital transition of providers of special forms of tourism - De Minimis.
  11. Grant Scheme for communities and other organisations for the realisation of Christmas Villages.
  12. Grant Scheme for experiential workshops of traditional handicrafts, processing of agricultural and livestock products and oenology - De Minimis.
  13. Incentive Scheme for the accommodation of cruise ships in Cyprus - De Minimis.
• Projects implemented within the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RSP) with the amount of €8,100,000:
  14. RSP no. 74 – €3,200,000: Sponsorship plan for projects to upgrade hotels and tourist accommodation in rural, mountainous and remote areas, for the modernisation and improvement of the competitiveness of the tourism product.
  15. SAA no. 75 – €2,000,000: Sponsorship plan for the upgrading of traditional places of catering or sale of traditional food products with the possibility of their inclusion in the "Taste of Cyprus" pact.
  16. SAA no.76 - €900,000: Sponsorship plan for the creation and enrichment of facilities and services, health tourism, wellness, rehabilitation and autonomous assisted living in hotels and tourist accommodations with the aim of attracting health / wellness tourism.
  17. SAA no. 79 – €2,000,000: Grant scheme for the revitalisation of rural and mountainous and remote areas, through the creation of authentic experiences to enrich and upgrade the tourist product

Reports and promotional materials

Also, the budget of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism includes €3,450,000 intended to cover the participation with sales stands/workshops, in tourism exhibitions of general and special interest, mainly abroad.

In addition to the above, the budget includes €200,000, intended to cover the cost of planning, creating and updating promotional forms (including those related to the "Aphrodite" cultural route), posters/banners for events in Cyprus and abroad, beach flags, guides, Newsletter for the Tourism Observatory, etc.

More specifically:

• Artistic editing, design and installation of specialised promotional forms.
• The creation of advertising material / supporting tools for displaying forms for events and exhibitions in Cyprus and abroad, such as QR code stands, posters / banners, beach flags, guides, information signs, etc.
• Copywriting for new publications.
• Update / adaptations of existing forms.
• Creation of audio-visual material for print and their online format, on the websites of the Deputy Ministry.
• Printing and reprinting of forms, depending on the needs of the Information Offices and the Foreign Offices, as well as the needs of entities in the tourism sector, such as major conferences / events of the players of the tourism industry.

Credits for hosting

In addition, funding for hosting events has been included in the budget, namely:

• €550,000 for hosting tourist agents and travel organisers, who include Cyprus in their tourist destinations, including journalists, bloggers / influencers, TV crews, photographers, competition winners, decision makers, travel writers, etc., that promote Cyprus, as well as costs of procurement of small souvenirs.
• €4,080 to cover expenses for drinks offered to visitors in the Deputy Minister's office, as well as during meetings/meetings chaired by the Deputy Minister, up to the amount of €4,080 per year (against receipts).
• €2,040 to cover expenses for drinks offered during official contacts, meetings and meetings in the office of the Director General or in a meeting room of the Deputy Ministry, presided over by him or an authorised officer, up to the amount of €2,040 per year (against receipts).

Preparation of studies/reports:

In addition, the budget of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism for 2025 includes €202,960 for the preparation of studies and reports:

• €99,960 for a study mapping out diving spots. The provision concerns the carrying out a study, which began in 2023 and will be completed in 2025. It includes the creation of digital imaging of the approximately 70 diving sites, which have been recognised in Cyprus, specifically the 3D mapping of the land and the seabed, as well as the creation of a 3D model seabed.
• €30,000 for carrying out a study on the development of mountain sports resorts. The provision concerns the preparation of a study regarding the utilisation of the sports facilities in the mountainous areas with the aim of transforming the mountainous areas into a "Mountain Sports Center", so that through the enrichment of the specialised product, the competitiveness of the mountainous areas will be strengthened.
• €40,000 to carry out a study on Health Tourism within the framework of the National Long-Term Strategy for the Sustainable Development of Cyprus "Vision 2035", which will examine the existing data regarding health and wellness tourism, specifically medical tourism, health tourism and wellness tourism.
• €33,000 to carry out a study on sustainability, to record the current situation, as well as best practices for adoption and implementation by tourism businesses, with the aim of improving their sustainability.

Purchase of services

Also, the budget includes €592,000 for the purchase of the following consulting services:

• €380,000 - Services for the preparation of open tender conditions for the development of a marina in Kissonerga in Paphos, and providing support throughout the duration of the tender process.
• €62,000 - Services for the creation of a comprehensive digital historical archive for tourism in Cyprus, which will include documented recording of all elements related to the development of tourism and will be a tool for preserving and disseminating important historical elements for tourism in Cyprus.
• €40,000 - Services for the preparation of research for nature / countryside tourism, which will include, among other things, the recording of accommodation and restaurants, near nature trails and the interconnection of hiking routes.
• €30,000 - Services for the implementation of the conditions established in the context of the evaluation of the Strategic Environmental Impact Study for the National Tourism Strategy 2030 as well as for the revision of the SES, based on the updated SES 2035.
• €25,000 - Supervisor team services for the Paralimni marina and other consulting services for marinas.
• €20,000 - Services for the development of a digital system to utilise the "Mountain Guide" institution, which will contribute decisively to the development of nature/countryside tourism, especially in the area of ​​the Troodos Geopark.
• €20,000 – Architects’ services for the control of leisure center applications, the control of hotel business applications (preparation of technical reports), as well as the recording and evaluation of hotel business questionnaires regarding the facilities they have for people with disabilities.
• €10,000 - Services for matters concerning the Tourism Development Companies of the provinces of Nicosia, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos, Famagusta and the Troodos area.
• €5,000 - Services for redefining business inclusion criteria, for the case of Cyprus, in the "Vegan Friendly" label.

Financial support

Finally, the budget of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism for 2025 also includes €1,685,000 in financial support of:

• Tourism Development and Promotion Companies (ETAP): Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Famagusta and Troodos, which includes actions for the organisation, development, modernisation and promotion of the tourist product within their region (€1,560,000).
• The Cyprus Agritourism Company, with the aim of further developing and promoting the rural tourism product (De Minimis) (€75,000).
• Of Akamas Communities, to cover part of the operating costs of community infrastructures/museums (€40,000).
• National Blue Flag Program Operator, for the purchase of flags, consumables for water analysis, design and printing of forms and beach control services (€10,000).

(Source: InBusinessNews)