Sustainable Tourism in Cyprus
- Tourism is important to Cyprus as it provides thousands of jobs and contributes an average of 20% to the country's GDP
- Cyprus island is partitioned into the Turkish Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus
- This case study will focus on the southern Greek part of the island
- Cyprus has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers (average 28°C) and rainy winters (average 10°C)
- Due to a series of water shortages, annual demand now outstrips supply and Cyprus is classified as 'water poor'
- There is an increasing reliance on desalination plants
- The desalination plants:
- Increase energy consumption
- Only provide 45% of the increased demand
- Are harmful to the environment
- In 2006 the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative (CSTI) was launched to develop a sustainable approach to tourism in Cyprus through:
- Improving the quality of life in poorer communities disadvantaged by tourism
- Promoting the preservation, conservation and protection of Cyprus's environment, whilst sustainably using its natural resources
- Reducing Cyprus's carbon footprint due to tourism
- Promoting research and education in sustainability
- Some of the projects undertaken are:
- Managing water, energy and water -
- Gardens and landscaping account for up to 22% of a hotel's water consumption
- Limiting the use of grass and exotic vegetation which require frequent watering
- Encouraging hotels to use native plants as they naturally adapt to less rainfall and are representative of Cyprus
- Reducing the number of swimming pools
- Increasing the use of renewable energy - solar power is a major source of energy for Cyprus
- Use of energy-saving devices in hotels and public spaces
- Reducing the use of plastic and plastic waste
- Improving conditions on beaches through organised beach cleaning events
- Working with the tourism sector to reduce demand and consumption of single-use plastics in tourist hotspots such as Ayia Napa
- Organising turtle watches during hatching time to ensure the hatchlings get to the sea and not into hotel resorts
- Encouraging rural tourism to spread the benefits among poorer communities through art and history projects, accommodation and local events
- Managing water, energy and water -
- Reducing Cyprus's carbon footprint in a significant manner is difficult as most tourists arrive by air and tour the island either by car or coach
