Cyprus bets on Troodos to bring tourism inland year-round

Cyprus is stepping up investment in mountain and rural tourism, Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis said in Agros on Thursday, as the government seeks to draw more visitors inland, support local communities and strengthen the island’s appeal as a year-round destination. Speaking at the conference “Mountain Areas, Special Interest of Tourism and Community Resilience”, held as part of Mountain Games Cyprus 2026, Koumis described authenticity as “a major asset for the tourism sector”, arguing that the character of rural and mountain communities remains central to their long-term appeal. The four-day Mountain Games programme, organised during the European Week of Sport, includes 35 activities across eight Troodos villages within the UNESCO Global Geopark. Koumis noted that the government and the Deputy Ministry were continuing to invest in mountain and rural areas, while recent studies showed travellers increasingly looking for nature, outdoor activities and experiences that bring them closer to local communities. Nature and rural tourism, together with cultural tourism, have been identified under the National Tourism Strategy 2035 as important special-interest segments, with hiking trails given a prominent role. According to Koumis, these forms of tourism are key to extending the tourism season, spreading visitor flows further inland and strengthening Cyprus’ position as a destination that can attract travellers throughout the year. Troodos, he added, has “all the ingredients to meet this demand”, pointing to its walking trails, wine villages, Geopark and UNESCO-listed monuments. As part of that effort, the Deputy Ministry is working closely with the Forestry Department to promote walking and cycling tourism, develop and signpost routes and improve forest recreation infrastructure. Koumis also emphasised the publication by the Cyprus Organisation for Standardisation (CYS), the national standard for the design, construction, signposting and management of hiking trails. For the first time at national level, he explained, the standard sets criteria covering the general characteristics and difficulty of trails, as well as minimum requirements for their design, construction, marking and management. The objective is to create trails that are safe, accessible and properly maintained, while also giving walkers a better experience of the natural and cultural character of each area. At the same time, Cyprus is seeking to bring its hiking infrastructure closer to recognised European standards. As a member of the European Hiking Federation, the Deputy Ministry is working towards applying the “Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe” criteria, with Koumis saying the longer-term objective is to create the conditions for the certification of Cyprus’ first long-distance trail. A two-day training workshop on the scheme will be held in Spilia on September 25 and 26, with the support of the Deputy Ministry. It will focus on day hiking routes and provide local authorities, government services and tourism bodies with expertise in their assessment and upgrading. The next target, Koumis explained, is the certification of three to four day routes within the Troodos Geopark. However, the wider strategy goes beyond hiking infrastructure, with the Deputy Ministry also seeking to connect outdoor tourism more closely with village businesses, local products and rural traditions. Koumis pointed to the Heartland of Legends circular route, where hiking, cycling, climbing and birdwatching are combined with themes inspired by the island’s traditional rural activities. The same approach, he noted, underpins Taste Cyprus and the island’s wine routes, which link tourism with local production and gastronomy so that more of the economic benefit remains within the communities themselves. The Christmas Villages initiative also forms part of that effort, giving visitors “another reason to choose the mountains in winter” while supporting accommodation, hospitality and other local businesses outside the peak summer period. Accessibility, meanwhile, is being treated as part of the wider quality of the tourism product rather than simply as a regulatory requirement. Koumis stressed that the Deputy Ministry did not view accessibility as “a formal obligation”, but as a fundamental part of quality, equality and social responsibility. Grant schemes have therefore supported improvements to accessibility infrastructure, specialist-interest facilities and health and wellness services at tourism accommodation, while the Deputy Ministry has already identified more than 300 tourism sites accessible to people with different disabilities. Cyprus is also examining the experience of the Italian Hiking Federation, particularly in the assessment and certification of accessible trails, the training of accompanying guides and the use of specialist equipment for people with mobility disabilities. Investment in rural tourism has also continued through the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Under the second call of the grant scheme for the revival of rural, mountain, border and remote areas, 152 projects have been completed, with funding reaching €7 million. In parallel, 46 hotels and tourist accommodation businesses in rural, mountain and remote areas were approved for grants totalling €6.9m, while a further €1.3m was provided during 2025 for upgrades to restaurants and shops selling traditional food products. Taken together, the three funding streams represent more than €15m in support for rural projects, accommodation and businesses linked to local food production. Koumis described support for the countryside as a broader government priority, aimed at keeping mountain communities economically active and encouraging younger people to return. Tourism also forms an important part of the National Strategy for the Development of Mountain Communities, coordinated by the Commissioner for the Development of Mountain Communities, while agricultural support under the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan 2023-2027 contributes to the local production that underpins much of Cyprus’ gastronomic tourism offering. Koumis also referred to conclusions adopted by the EU Competitiveness Council during Cyprus’ EU presidency, which placed greater emphasis on rural, mountain and remote destinations, as well as accessible and inclusive tourism models. Ultimately, he argued, the aim is to develop mountain tourism in a way that “respects the identity of each place” while ensuring that tourism leaves a meaningful benefit for the communities themselves.