The Deputy Ministry of Tourism on Friday announced the second call for proposals under its €3 million grant scheme to boost tourism across Cyprus.
The scheme aims to support the modernisation and competitiveness of hotels and tourist accommodations in rural, mountainous, and other remote areas.
This initiative aims to strengthen tourism infrastructure by offering financial incentives for modernisation projects that enhance the competitiveness of the tourism sector in these regions.
The scheme focuses on boosting accommodation facilities in four defined areas, each benefiting from tailored levels of support.
Specifically, 75 per cent of eligible costs are covered in mountainous and remote areas, 65 per cent in rural areas, 50 per cent in areas facing tourism development challenges, and up to 85 per cent in the designated Special Area of State Support at the Pyrgos Tillirias complex.
Grants are capped at €300,000 per beneficiary under the De Minimis Regulation, while applications under the General Block Exemption Regulation can secure funding of up to €500,000.
Eligible upgrades include digital enhancements such as implementing modern software systems, comprehensive renovations of facilities like reception areas, guest rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms, as well as the addition of bespoke features designed to enhance the visitor experience.
These features may include wellness centres, gyms, swimming pools, conference rooms with advanced audiovisual technology, and infrastructure to support sports activities for people with disabilities.
The scheme also permits the conversion of existing tourist accommodations into hotels, provided these upgrades remain within the existing structures, promoting a more sustainable and integrated approach to tourism development.
“We believe that the implementation of such projects substantially upgrades the areas of application, in this case, the mountainous areas of our country, the rural areas, and the extremely remote areas,” said Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis.
“These enhancements not only raise the competitiveness of these areas but also elevate the overall competitiveness of the tourist product of our country,” he added.
He also underlined the government’s dedication to leveraging EU recovery funds.
“As a government, we remain faithful to our commitment to use the tools provided by the European Union’s recovery and resilience mechanism,” he said.
“We are investing consciously and with specific targeting, both geographical and specific, in the improvement of the tourism services provided and in raising the competitiveness of our country’s tourism product,” Koumis concluded.