National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus. Author of this document: Project Coordinator:

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1 National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus Deliverable no. D4.4e of the SEEMORE project Date of preparation of this document: Project Coordinator: CINESI Transport Consultants, Spain Mr. Maarten van Bemmelen Phone Start date of the project: April 2012 Author of this document: Company: Limassol Tourist Development and Promotion Co Ltd; Central European Initiative Executive Secretariat Author s name(s): Maria Stylianou Michaelidou; Slavena Radovanovic, Sara Baronio m.stylianou@limassolchamber.eu; radovanovic@cei.int, baronio@cei.int Phone: ; End date of the project: April 2015 Project website:

2 Legal disclaimer: The sole responsibility for the content of this document lies with the authors. It does not represent the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. SEEMORE is co-funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme of the European Commission and runs from April 2012 until April 2015.

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction Revision and peer review history Glossary Presentation of the SEEMORE project Relevant national developments on tourism and sustainable mobility SEEMORE actions in Limassol First SEEMORE National Transfer Seminar in Limassol Second SEEMORE National Transfer Seminar in Limassol Conclusions List of Figures List of Tables D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 3 / 20

4 1 INTRODUCTION An entire work package of the SEEMORE project is dedicated to the transfer of knowledge, which takes place at different levels and among different stakeholders all along the project life cycle. At national level, two National Transfer Seminars are organised by each of the eight SEEMORE regions in their respective countries. The National Transfer Seminars gather representatives of tourist destinations that are not participating in the SEEMORE project, but share the same (or similar) challenges of the SEEMORE regions in terms of tourists mobility management. The aim of the National Transfer Seminars is to disseminate the innovative approach to tourists mobility management developed within the SEEMORE project, thus facilitating and encouraging the transfer of best practices in this field. In order to facilitate discussion, a National Reader on tourism and sustainable mobility is prepared by each SEEMORE region before its National Transfer Seminar and distributed at the event. According to a common approach, the National Readers first briefly present the SEEMORE project, then give an overview of the developments on tourism and sustainable mobility in the relevant country and finally list the innovative actions implemented within the SEEMORE project that are going to be presented at the related seminar. The present document is a report on the two National Transfer Seminars held in the SEEMORE region of Limassol (Cyprus). Both events were organised by the Limassol Tourist Development and Promotion Co Ltd (the body responsible for the implementation of the SEEMORE project in Limassol) together with the consultancy Stratagem Energy Ltd and took place in Limassol on 24 October 2013 and 9 July 2014 respectively. The first chapters of this document replicate the content of the National Reader produced for the events. They include a general presentation of the SEEMORE project (chapter 4), an overview of the national developments in the field of tourism and mobility (chapter 5) and some of the measures implemented by the Limassol Tourist Development and Promotion Co Ltd (chapter 6). Chapter 7 and chapter 8 report on the National Transfer Seminars: they illustrate the participants in each event, the points of discussion and the events main outcomes. The related agendas and lists of participants can be found as Annexes to this document. This report is addressed to visitors, residents, local and regional authorities at tourist destinations in Europe, mobility providers, hotels and leisure attractions. It is intended to disseminate the innovative approach to tourists mobility management developed within the SEEMORE project, thus facilitating and encouraging the transfer of best practices among different regions sharing similar features and challenges. D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 4 / 20

5 2 REVISION AND PEER REVIEW HISTORY Version Number Date Comments Peer reviewed by (Name, Organisation) /11/2014 First draft sent for peer review N/A /11/2014 Second draft Louise Robertsson, Association of Local Authorities Fyrbodal /11/2014 Third draft, with some corrections from the peer reviewer already accepted, sent from CEI to Limassol Tourist Development and Promotion Co Ltd for further amendments N/A /12/2014 Fourth draft provided by Limassol Tourist Development and Promotion Co Ltd N/A /03/2015 Fifth draft (including conclusions) prepared by CEI and sent to Limassol Tourist Development and Promotion Co Ltd for check and final contribution N/A /03/2015 Sixth draft provided by Limassol Tourist Development and Promotion Co Ltd N/A /03/2015 Final version uploaded in the internal website by CEI N/A Table 1: Document revision and peer review history D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 5 / 20

6 3 GLOSSARY Abbreviations provided in this report Abbreviation Full name GIS PT CTO Geographic Information System Public transport Cyprus Tourism Organisation Table 2: Abbreviations used D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 6 / 20

7 4 PRESENTATION OF THE SEEMORE PROJECT The SEEMORE project aims at promoting and enhancing sustainable mobility in tourist destinations. Studies show that leisure travel accounts for 50% of all travel mileage in industrialized countries and is expected to grow further in the coming years. The impact of growing leisure travel is especially felt in tourist regions that have to cope with seasonal changes in transport demand and road congestion because of high levels of private car use. An inefficient organisation of mobility can lead to a decrease in the attractiveness of a destination. Also, destinations need to develop new products for growing target groups like low-cost travellers; ageing tourists that do not want to drive a car; and tourists demanding sustainable holidays. For tourist destinations to remain competitive and attractive in a global market, cooperation between local actors from the tourism and mobility sectors is essential. Within the SEEMORE project, eight European coastal regions are setting up these cooperation frameworks to carry out the following actions: Provide improved information for visitors about sustainable mobility options like public transport, cycling, walking and electric mobility; Develop integrated tourist products that combine leisure and public transport lines; Create new and improved sustainable mobility options and services for visitors, including public bicycles and new public transport services. Project activities The implementation and evaluation of sustainable mobility actions in eight coastal regions form the core of the SEEMORE project. To improve the quality of the SEEMORE regional actions, the partners develop an overview of good practices and recommendations from existing studies. Throughout the project, SEEMORE organizes several public events to exchange experiences with other tourist regions. Practitioners from other regions are able to access interesting project outputs on the project website: Partners CINESI Transport Consultancy Spain Mallorca Transport Consortium Spain Trivector Traffic AB Sweden Association of Local Authorities Fyrbodal Sweden FGM-AMOR Austrian Mobility Research Austria Common Europe Pomeranian Association Poland Municipality of Choczewo Poland Club Sustainable Development of Civil Society Bulgaria Province of Forlì-Cesena Italy D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 7 / 20

8 Central European Initiative Italy Limassol Tourism Development and Promotion Co Ltd Cyprus Stratagem Energy Ltd Cyprus Horários do Funchal Public Transport Portugal Local Councils Association Malta D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 8 / 20

9 5 RELEVANT NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS ON TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY At the time of the writing of the present report, 19 municipalities in Cyprus had signed the European Covenant of Mayors 1, committing participating municipalities to a decrease of pollutants by 20% by 2020 implementing the following: Developing a bike sharing system Including bike lanes in new road planning Where possible, including bike paths in new municipal projects (e.g. Garillis project) Promoting public transport Developing the car sharing system Promoting walking as a mobility option and developing the necessary infrastructure Encouraging the use of electric cars offering parking and other incentives It is worth noticing that all municipalities of the district of Limassol signed the agreement 2. The Municipality of Communications and Works redesigned the public transport system and aims at increasing the use of electric cars in the coming years. The Cyprus Energy Agency offered incentives to encourage the use of electric cars. The Cyprus Energy Agency participates in the European Program Isle Pact for the development of a Local Action Plan for Sustainable Energy through: Energy efficient buildings Mobility systems Use of renewable energy sources 1 The Covenant of mayors was launched in 2008 by the European Commission, with the support of the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament. It is the mainstream European initiative involving local and regional authorities in the fight against climate change and developing a more sustainable energy future for our cities. The Covenant is a voluntary commitment by signatories to meet and exceed the EU 20% CO2 reduction objective through increased energy efficiency and the development of renewable energy sources. It provides a bottom-up support for the implementation of the EU Climate and Energy Package, adopted in 2008 by heads of state and government. For more information visit 2 Limassol Municipality on 28/11/2013 from the mayor Andreas Christou, Agios Athanasios Municipality on 31/05/2010 from the mayor Kyriakos Chatzitofis, Ipsonas Municipality on 30/10/2013 from the mayor Aristos Aristeidou, Kato Polemidia Municipality on 05/10/2010 from the mayor Giorgos Georgiou, Mesa Yitonia Municipality on 10/07/2014 from the mayor Antoniou Doros, Yermasoyia Municipality on 17/01/2013 from the mayor Gavrielides Andreas. D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 9 / 20

10 Stratagem Energy Ltd and the Municipalities of Limassol, Mesa Yitonia, Kato Polemidia and Yermasoyia participate in the European Program Conurban, which mainly aims at the signing of the Mayors Agreement for the development and implementation of a Sustainable Energy Action Plan. All the above-mentioned measures are supporting the implementation of the SEEMORE project in Limassol. D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 10 / 20

11 6 SEEMORE ACTIONS IN LIMASSOL Definition and elaboration of sustainable mobility information package Translation of mobility information Sustainable Mobility Guide available in English and Russian Integrated mapping GIS Applications Protocols for exchange between transport and tourism for up to date regional mobility information Actual cooperation established between transport and tourism for promotion of sustainable mobility options Regional visitors guide including information on mobility Promotion of mutual links between transport and destination websites Integration of mobility information in hotel's services to customers and websites Sustainable mobility information provision in long distance collective transport services Sustainable mobility information provision in travel agencies Information desk extension Training on integrated sustainable mobility options Web travel planner for visitors including leisure destinations Real-time travel information at hotels and main leisure destinations Local distribution of SEEMORE dissemination material Production of local SEEMORE video Local campaigns and additional material Special tickets for visitors Integration of urban and interurban public transport in terms of information and marketing Discounts at tourist attractions for sustainable mobility users (free entrance at museums) Emission calculation tool Parking policies Public transport services in rural areas Public transport services at leisure/tourist destinations Coach services and shuttles to main interregional gateways Sustainable mobility options to major events (free or low cost transport) Guided tours by coach or boat Bicycle transport in PT Taxi sharing schemes at interregional gateways Low cost bicycle rental at hotels D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 11 / 20

12 Bicycle sharing/rental schemes Guided cycling tours Airport shuttle service from the tourist area to Larnaca airport Sustainable mobility plans in tourist municipalities Integration of urban and interurban PT Training local mobility planners Training local tourism planners D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 12 / 20

13 7 FIRST SEEMORE NATIONAL TRANSFER SEMINAR IN LIMASSOL The first SEEMORE National Transfer Seminar in the region of Limassol was held in Limassol on 24 October The event was organised by the Limassol Tourism Board together with the consultancy Stratagem Energy and gathered representatives of the following regions: Troodos Nicosia Larnaka Moreover, representatives of some country-wide organisations such as the Cyprus Hotel Managers Association, the Association of Cyprus Tourism Enterprises and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry attended the event. Discussions included an analysis of the state of play on sustainable mobility options, aimed at identifying their weaknesses and exchanging ideas on possible solutions. A stronger cooperation between the participants and opportunities for common actions were also envisaged. The main outcomes of the seminar can be summarised by grouping them into three main topics, namely bus services, guided tours with soft mobility modes and dissemination of information. Bus services Several weaknesses were identified by all participants with regard to bus services. In Larnaka bus timetables are not respected, resulting in buses becoming an unreliable and unsatisfactory means of transport. The Cyprus Hotel Managers Association pointed out that the price of bus tickets raised while the number of bus routes lowered. It was also mentioned that the infrastructure needs to be improved; in particular, buses are not equipped for disabled users. Some actions taken had unfortunately negative reactions. For instance, a proposal to improve the bus infrastructure at the airport faced harsh reactions from the taxi drivers causing the project to stop. Similarly, a proposal for improvements on the ten most popular tourist routes prepared by the Larnaka Tourism Board and submitted to the Department of Road Transport was completely neglected. The participants also exchanged ideas for common actions. The Nicosia Tourism Board suggested to the Nicosia Urban Bus Company to use smaller buses for routes that are not very popular. An enquiry on the same topic was sent to other regions, in order to assess the overall need for alternative means of transport and consequently present similar requests through a coordinated approach. Initiatives to adapt the current bus fleet to the needs of disabled users will also be part of the future actions of all regions. D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 13 / 20

14 Guided tours with soft mobility modes Walking tours are very popular in Larnaka. Bike tours are available in Limassol and Larnaka (though the price of tandem bicycles is considered high in the latter destination) and are becoming very popular in Nicosia. Obstacles lie in the infrastructure: both in Larnaka and Nicosia bike paths are incomplete and the gaps force users to ride partly on the road. Guided tours on Segways are available in Pafos only. However, Segways are provided in small numbers by car rental companies in Nicosia and Limassol as well. Finally, free shuttle bus to major events are offered and considerably appreciated in Nicosia, Pafos and Troodos. Dissemination of information An enhanced cooperation was envisaged concerning the dissemination of information. The representative of the Cyprus Hotel Managers Association proposed to contact their members all over the country requesting them to include the Sustainable Mobility Information Package developed within SEEMORE in their websites. Information concerning organised bike tours, such as the Limassol Friday Night Bike, could be promoted in the same way. Figure 1: First SEEMORE National Transfer Seminar in Limassol D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 14 / 20

15 8 SECOND SEEMORE NATIONAL TRANSFER SEMINAR IN LIMASSOL The second SEEMORE National Transfer Seminar in the region of Limassol was held in Limassol on 9 July The event was organised by the Limassol Tourism Board together with the consultancy Stratagem Energy and gathered representatives of the following regions: Nicosia Larnaka Pafos Troodos Moreover, representatives of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and of the Association of Cyprus Tourism Enterprises attended the event. The event opened with an update on the implementation of SEEMORE actions in Limassol. In addition to the measures listed above (see chapter 7), new ideas for actions in areas closely connected to sustainable mobility were explored. In September 2014 the Municipality of Ayios Athanasios (located in the district of Limassol) will start a training programme addressing students to educate them on how to ride their bicycles safely and how to properly use bike lanes and roads. Moreover, a newly established local museum acquired its own double decker bus in order to take visitors from the tourist area to the museum itself and back. This transportation service is free of charge, while passengers are required to buy the ticket to enter the museum from the bus driver. Following the intervention by the region of Limassol, all invited regions presented their respective developments regarding tourism and sustainable mobility. Troodos In the region of Troodos, the tourists rising interest in cycling led to the establishment of the first bike sharing station in summer Signposted cycling routes are currently available and a strategic plan for the region including bike sharing and further development of cycling routes was developed. In addition to cycling, walking and hiking tours became one of the most popular activities in the area. Finally, a low cost bus service to and from major events is available. Buses provide connections among several towns in the area on the occasion of around 20 events per year. This initiative proved to be so successful that local tour operators became interested in organising tours including attendance to the most appealing events, whose venues would be reached by coach. D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 15 / 20

16 Nicosia In the region of Nicosia, the airport shuttle bus company has increased the number of lines connecting the two airport of the area to tourist destinations and offers free shaded parking to users as an incentive. Moreover, guided walking tours of the town are offered free of charge once a week. Pafos In the region of Pafos, cycling and Segways are becoming increasingly popular, to the extent that Segway tours are regularly organised in the town of Pafos. In addition to that, the tourism board of the region suggested to the Ministry of Communications and Works to create additional bus routes connecting Pafos to towns and villages in the area, with particular attention to the so-called wine villages. Finally, a new road connecting the airport of Pafos to Pafos tourist area is nearly completed, saving vehicles a significant number of kilometres. Larnaka In the region of Larnaka, Segways and electric bicycles are becoming increasingly popular among tourists. Moreover, guided walking tours of the city of Larnaca are offered on a weekly basis free of charge. Finally, the local tourism board regularly organised a bus tour to take tourists around Larnaka and to nearby villages. The tour includes the opportunity to participate in workshops or taste local delicacies. Following the presentations from the invited regions, a discussion on potential obstacles to sustainable mobility, as well as on opinions and ideas for joint actions took place among the participants. All regions recognised that all inclusive tourism is becoming an obstacle to visitors moving around and experiencing the destination they are visiting. To this regards, the Limassol Tourism Board presented the recently developed programme Experience Limassol, which suggests free-of-charge or low-cost activities for visitors to explore and experience the area using sustainable mobility modes. The idea was well received by all regions, that would examine the possibility to introduce it in their respective areas. All regions recognised the need to enhance communication channels and the provision of information to tourists. To this regards, two main actions will be taken, addressing promotional materials and training of receptionists and front-desk staff of tourist businesses. As regards promotional materials, the Association of Cyprus Tourist Enterprises will send a circular to all of its members asking for cooperation in the distribution of promotional material on sustainable mobility options. Following the example of Limassol, all regions agreed to include the relevant available bus services in their materials promoting events in the area. Moreover, the Limassol Mobility Guide was accepted by all regions as a best practice and will be adopted for new D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 16 / 20

17 regional publications. Finally, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) developed a list of bus routes to the main points of interest all over Cyprus and will soon upload this tool on its website. As regards the training of receptionists and front-desk staff of tourist businesses to provide mobility information, the Association of Cyprus Tourist Enterprises will send a circular to all of its members requesting the participation of their staff in the SEEMORE training for tourism professionals that will be organised by the Limassol Tourism Board in November In addition to that, a SEEMORE PowerPoint presentation will be sent to the Human Resources Managers of all tourist enterprises for their perusal during internal trainings. To conclude, the second SEEMORE National Transfer Seminar in Limassol proved to be an effective means of sharing ideas and points of view among regions that face similar challenges, as well as a valuable opportunity to devise joint actions to face common problems and, finally, to transfer best practices in the field of sustainable mobility addressing tourists needs. Figure 2: Second SEEMORE National Transfer Seminar in Limassol D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 17 / 20

18 9 CONCLUSIONS All SEEMORE National Transfer Seminars underwent an evaluation procedure to assess, among others, if and how the tourist destinations that took part in the events ultimately implemented SEEMORE-like measures in their respective areas. According to the results gathered in Limassol, the most replicated measures were those related to the provision of information (e.g. regional visitors guide including information on mobility, real-time travel information and better linkages between transport and tourist websites); the introduction of new mobility options (e.g. bicycle transport on PT means, guided tours by coach or boat and sustainable mobility options to major events); and parking policies. The major constraints to sustainable mobility enhancement resulted to be financial and political barriers, although affecting it on a medium extent only. Several destinations involved in the seminars declared they plan to introduce SEEMORE-like measures by 2020, with a focus on the provision of information (e.g. regional visitors guide including information on mobility, travel planner including leisure destinations), new mobility options (e.g. bicycle transport on PT means, guided tours by coach or boat and sustainable mobility options to major events) and parking policies. The Limassol Tourism Board intends to continue sending electronic updates to all regions in Cyprus about actions carried out in the field of sustainable mobility and their results, encouraging other regions to follow with similar initiatives. To this regard, the Limassol Tourism Board are ready to offer support in the areas they have acquired know-how thanks to SEEMORE. In the coming years, the Limassol Tourism Board s efforts will concentrate in upgrading and expanding the measures implemented during SEEMORE, inviting other regions to cooperate in many occasions (e.g. to establish an airport shuttle service from the Limassol tourist area to the airport of Pafos). The six regional tourism boards of Cyprus meet at least once a year to discuss common issues and, thanks to SEEMORE, from now on sustainable mobility will be included in the agenda of these meetings to share information and suggest new actions in the field. D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 18 / 20

19 10 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: First SEEMORE National Transfer Seminar in Limassol Figure 2: Second SEEMORE National Transfer Seminar in Limassol D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 19 / 20

20 11 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Document revision and peer review history... 5 Table 2: Abbreviations used... 6 D4.4e National reader tourism and sustainable mobility Cyprus page 20 / 20