Welcome events for cruise ships in Limassol

The Mayor of Limassol, Mr Nicos Nicolaides presented the welcome events’ program for the winter period during a press conference held on 14 September 2018 at the Town Hall.

As mentioned by Mr Nicolaides, these events are jointly organised by the Municipality of Limassol, the Limassol Tourism Board and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, and focus on the “Hospitality & Tradition” that characterise our island. The aim is to highlight and promote the welcoming character of Limassol, its tradition, history and attractions, making a good first impression on visitors. The events are scheduled to take place on 17/9, 6/10, 14/10, 24/10, 26/10 and 19/11 at the new passenger terminal at the port of Limassol, while a total of 13.000 tourists is expected to participate in these events. In this context, cruise passengers will have, upon arrival, the opportunity to attend and participate actively in a traditional music and dance program and taste local products that will be offered as a treat, such as Commandaria, zivania, soutzoukos, almonds, raisins, loukoumi (Cyprus delight) and pastelaki (nut brittle).

During his presentation, the Mayor of Limassol reported that such events are successfully held by the Municipality for the 8^th consecutive year and it is estimated that, so far, they have been attended by tens of thousands of tourists.  He further stressed the importance of enhancing the positive experience of tourists that are only spending a few days in the city through a cordial welcome with traditional music and folk dances, as well as traditional delicacies. This type of promotional activities can leave a long-lasting positive impression on tourists and motivate both the participants themselves to revisit Limassol for a longer period of time and cruise companies to maintain and promote Limassol as their destination.  

Representing the Limassol Tourism Board, Director Maria Stylianou stated that the increase in cruise tourism constitutes an objective for the city of Limassol and that all stakeholders joined forces to this end. Measures, such as this type of welcome events certainly enhance the efforts made to create a beautiful experience for the visitors, an experience that will be disseminated through social networks to a circle of friends, while stimulating, at the same time, the local economy.

Ms Myria Stasoulli, representing the Cyprus Tourism Organisation addressed the reporters mentioning that the CTO, as part of a string of efforts to improve the experience of cruise passengers and generally increase tourism, but also to improve the competitiveness of our tourist product, has been supporting similar events over time. The goal, as she pointed out, is to turn this series of welcome events into a successful institution with the active contribution of local societies and bodies.

Finally, Mr Nicolaides presented audiovisual material from previous welcome events in Limassol, thanked the sponsors KEAN and AMALIA for their contribution to the events and offered the attendants a traditional Cypriot treat.