| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 28/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 13 |
| Copyright: Other |
REGULAR
C
olumn§st
It’s nice to see the villa holiday doing so well in Cyprus but tourism is a double-edged sword and having other effects in the region too
Noel Josephides
Well, I’m in Cyprus for the annual August pilgrimage. To be exact, I’m in the northwest, staying in the Polis/Latchi area. Sunvil created tourism in this region.We were the first to introduce the self-catering villa with pool and village house concept to the island and it is in this particular area that this market has flourished.
It’s very satisfying to see how what we introduced is now providing wealth to the local people.
And I do mean people. Cyprus tourism is tending to fall into a few hands but when it comes to individual villas and village houses, you are sure the tourist revenue is shared by many, which is how it should be.
The local restaurateurs in Latchi are complaining that business is down and blame it on two local holiday village-type establishments which have gone all-inclusive.
In Cyprus, all-inclusive means downmarket. So, even though tourist numbers are up, restaurant takings are down.
They have also noticed that those who are eating out are spending less. This is to be expected. You cannot attract almost 2.5 million tourists a year and expect them to be high quality, well behaved and big spenders. Volume and exclusivity just cannot go together and Cyprus is no different to anywhere else.
You only have to see the Airtours, JMC, Air 2000 and Britannia jets lining up to come and go on a Wednesday at Larnaca airport to realise that many of the 2.5 million tourists are bog-standard sun and sand seekers.
As the bed numbers have risen, the prices have fallen. Cyprus is now a big destination and its airports are struggling to cope with thenumbers.
And, like everywhere else, its unique character is changing and it is becoming like any other Costa.
Four years ago, the idea of water parks was unheard of. Now there are at least five that I know of, their big plastic tubes twisting above all but the tallest buildings. Two golf courses are up and running and more are planned. So far, the Cypriots themselves have not shown much interest but sooner or later it will become fashionable to play.
The golden arches of that well known hamburger chain are sprouting everywhere, and the Cypriots throng to eat something more expensive and far less tasty than their own kebab (barbecued lamb or pork with salad in a pitta bread pocket).
In Paphos, kebabs – souvlakia as it is known in Cyprus – sell for a pound. It’s the king of all snacks and it’s a sorry state of affairs when the Cypriots prefer MacDonald’s!
There are now 40,000 immigrant workers on the island, most of them working in the tourist industry. The Cypriotness has gone out of many hotels but the tourists don’t care.
As long as the sun shines, the service is good, the drink cheap and the sea warm the tourists are quite happy and come back for more and more.
After all, Cyprus is home away from home. Everyone speaks English and thousands of Cypriots have lived and studied in England. And, of course, the island is making plenty of money from tourism which now constitutes 25% of gross domestic product. So who really cares (except for me) about what is happening here?
“The Cypriotness has gone out of many hotels but the tourists don’t care”