Talks over a potential partnership pre-date the pandemic, with Cyprus’s deputy minister of tourism Savvas Perdios telling agent and operator guests at an event at London’s City Hall on Monday (7 November) "it was the right time to rekindle the opportunity".
Perdios was joined by Jordanian tourism minister Nayef Al Fayez, and together the ministers spoke of the two countries’ complementary tourism offering. The partnership will promote four- or five-day visits to each destination, targeting mid- and long-haul visitors from the UK, US and other markets looking to take a 10- to 14-day holiday.
Speaking at the event, Al Fayez said Jordan and Cyprus had the potential to become year-round destinations. "Our countries have suffered from seasonality – it’s something we have created in our industry," he said.
"When you compare yourself to other destinations, you can see both countries as year-round destinations. There are a lot of opportunities to improve traffic [and] a lot of potential for growth."
Perdios said the initial market focuses would be the UK and US, as well as long-haul. He echoed Al Fayez’s comments on seasonality, but cautioned it would be more important than ever to place such a partnership on sustainable footing.
He said the message around being able to visit two destinations in one visit was a strong one, adding any year-round tourism offering in Cyprus would be "high quality, digitally smart, more inclusive and climate aware".
Cyprus’s Heartland of Legends campaign, he said, would be central to this – a designated tourism route introducing visitors to the unique features of Cypriot village life, such as its food and agriculture, as well as the country’s cultural landscape, traditional arts and crafts.
