The strengthening and coordination of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Greece and Cyprus in the tourism sector was discussed during the meeting between the Minister of Tourism, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, and the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Costas Koumis, on Monday, February 24.
Ms. Kefalogianni requested and received the full support of her counterpart for Greece’s dual candidacy to the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), both for the position of Secretary-General in the person of Haris Theocharis and for the renewal of our country’s term on the Organization’s Executive Board.
At the EU level, and on the occasion of the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU (from 1 January 2026), possible synergies between the two countries in the tourism sector were explored, to present initiatives on issues of mutual interest, such as sustainable tourism development and addressing the consequences of climate change on tourism.
For better coordination of actions, the establishment of a bilateral cooperation committee was preferred, headed on the Greek side by the Secretary General of the Ministry, Vasia Koutsoukou, and on the Cypriot side by the Director General of the Deputy Ministry, Costas Constantinou.
The design of joint travel packages aimed at long-distance destinations (USA, China), the exchange of practices for legislation on issues such as short-term rentals, the management of tourist flows and the extension of the tourist season, as well as the utilization of tripartite cooperation schemes in the wider region were also discussed.
Mr. Koumis referred to Cyprus’ interest in cooperating with the Observatory for Coastal and Marine Tourism in the Mediterranean, an initiative of Greece, and received assurances of continuous relevant information as the procedures for the operation and scientific framework of the body progress.
The meeting was attended, among others, by the Secretary General of Tourism, Vasiliki Koutsoukou, her counterpart in Cyprus, the Director General of the Deputy Ministry, Costas Constantinou, and the Minister’s Diplomatic Advisor, Ambassador George Dimitriadis.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
