March 2009 - Posts
[With hindsight this post has be renamed, due to a very short lived pleasure]
It is really a pleasure to see that public companies react to public appeals, it means they understand that we, the users are the ones who dictate our needs that they cover .
Cyprus Airways has announced last week the opening of the flight to Athens from Paphos(PFO). This is great news for the people of Pafos and Limassol.
Last but not least, the prices of Cyprus airways are more competitive than the other airline that flies to Athens.
Well done Cyprus Airways
"There isn't enough to do in Cyprus, not for
families or couples. It is totally boring in the winter and shouldn't
be, it has sunshine and it has plenty of people who want to work but
entrepreneurs can't take the risk of starting up businesses unless the CTO have a real structured long term strategy
to bring customers in" by J.Court
-
I don't want the smokey bars and noisey tuneless pub singers
drowning out my conversations every night.
- I don't want to see 355
versions of Tom Jones doing Karaoke - it's old hat and it died about 10
years ago. I don't always want to eat out.
- I want to see some good
quality bands, go bowling, visit the cinema with the kids, go on roof
top bus tours round the island - all year round, get a drink in a cafe
on any beach in the winter months, walk in parks and see people lazing
in the sun with their families, stop for a chat and have a pic nic
-
I
want to be able to hire a pedalo or go diving in November when it's
still 28 degrees,
- I want to go to the local open air amphitheater and
hear beautiful music,
- I want to walk along the prom at Paphos without
being bombarded by Aged British Ticket Touts desperate to earn a few
bob to stay here as there aren't enough tourists to fill the boats.
- I
want to be able to cycle from Agia Napa to Paralimni without
encountering an underpass 4 feet deep in water because they forgot to
install drains.
- And most of all I want to walk the Eastern coastline
without taking in the appalling sight and stench of Farmers rubbish and
waste which is piled high and dumped on some of the most beautiful
stretches of the walk.
Do we still think we have an issue about attracting visitors?
Isn't it more about developing a sustainable model for collaboration that enhances product and delivers a structure for businesses to work with. Do we really need more advertising, more market-getting at this time? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to hear about open commitments with the business community on investment strategy. Has anyone heard about it since the Pasyxe annual event?
Why is it the likes of Ryanair or Easyjet still making the front pages of the news these days, complaining about high prices. This sounds like an echo from Tour Operators, Thomas Cook and Thomsom Holidays urging hoteliers 3 weeks ago to lower their prices before early booking period ends in march!!
You can't get them to change their business model, we all know that. Let's face it, these people are only interested in CHEAP and Customer delight is not. On the other hand CHEAP sells, and you may call it luck or a disgrace, but cheap is not compatible with our positioning as a tourism destination and our capability to provide authentic customer experiences that delight business owners and customers alike.
A couple of days ago, I noticed a flood of twitter contacts linking up. This is really nice especially since we can suspect the positive influence of the etourism-event in Cyprus. Nevertheless, the reason I post today is more precisely about a specific
contact from visitcyprus account that made me reflect a little. The
tweeter account uses the typical image that we have all seen, but in
particular this one is lying on the beach and the caption says "Cyprus, more than a place just for lounging in the sun" -
Is it just me? I don't get it. While we are all talking about the unsustainable positioning our island has, the non-competitive basis for attracting mass tourism, again and again we use in our communication elements that constantly reinforce contrary messages. Where have gone all the symbols and images that have given us character and uniqueness? Any guesses?