Blogging Petros

Wel Done Cyprus Airways

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

Let’s Meet in Cyprus, under the sun.

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation is preparing full speed for the up coming IMEX 2009 in Frankfurt. Cyprus is a great place for meetings of all kinds. The island offers a variety of Hotels that have all sizes of Meeting facilities with very good technological infrastructure to meet the needs of all kinds of meetings.

The small distances and the great climate, especially now when rain came back again and the country is totally green, give the opportunity to the attendees of the meetings events you have to enjoy some time off the business agenda. Meet in Limassol, Paphos or Agia Napa and in the afternoon visit the coffee shop of a “remote” village like Vasa Koilaniou near Troodos. Enjoy a home made sweet in the square of Omodos and then drive back to your hotel for a cocktail. In the evening you can continue your meeting at the old port of Limassol or in the fishing port of Paphos enjoying some fresh grilled fish. Meet with the hotels and the DMCs from Cyprus to prepare your meeting plan. They will be there at (stand No C480.)

Hotels:

GRANDRESORT, LIMASSOL

GOLDEN BAY HOTEL

LE MERIDIEN LIMASSOL SPA & RESORT

INTERCONTINENTAL APHRODITE HILLS RESORT

DMCs:

A.D.A. TRAVELSCOPE LTD

HONEYWELL TRAVEL

OM DESTINATION MANAGEMENT

INCEMA TRAVEL

NEON CONFERENCES & INCENTIVES LTD

  Request for a meeting with the Cyprus Tourism Organisation here

Sunday Times recommends “North Cyprus”

They forgot to say that the land where the hotels they mention belongs to families that were violently displaced from their homes 35 years ago. They forget to mention that the EU and UK courts have many times dictated sentences against Turkey for not letting Greeks Cypriots to use their land, they forget to mention that in order to have hotels there we are today making the funerals of 3 small children assassinated by Turkish troops in cold blood in their baby beds and barrier in mass graves.

Read the article of our friend Mark Hodson and I am sure you would love to fly to “Ercan” and feel the warmth of the people there. He forgets that the people there are under military rule and that the people there are becoming people elsewhere since they leave “North Cyprus” due to military occupation by the troops they once beleived that they were ther to save them from the Greeks.

I understand that Mark has to make a living but he needs to be objective if he writes for the Sunday Times. He forgot to mention travel insurance from the EU does not cover the visitor there, he forgot to mention that the visitor is not allowed to take pictures in many areas, much more than you can think of since is military areas, he forgot to mention that the visitor takes risks and not even his embassy can help him.

Also the Sunday Times needs to be careful who writes what and how.  Promoting illegality is similar to committing illegality. What is the difference between saying go to this shop where they sell stolen watches and buy a great Rolex for 30 pounds and go to “North Cyprus” and stay in this stolen hotel?

Read the article  yourself  here.

Traditional Travel Agent Services to challenge Online Airline Services

All of us who remember how we used to go to the Travel Agent of our town to buy a ticket should also remember the blue Sabre or Amadeus screen where the lady who worked there used to type in those complex codes. Well whatever this lady could do on her screen we can now do it from home. All, or almost all state owned (or ex state owned airlines – including Cyprus Airways) have now a web site where the passenger himself can make a booking, pay and even get his/her boarding pass.

So why do we need travel agents? This question was made to me during our event in Limassol last month. Travel agents who live on ticketing have little future? Will they disappear? My opinion is that they will not disappear, they will have to adapt.

I was in the office of my travel agent in Nicosia the other day and what impressed me more were the answers the ladies and gentlemen that work there could answer over the phone in a very natural and sure manner. Questions that not even Google can answer that quickly and that accurately.

They were just brilliant, … no sir no worries your flight is confirmed and the assistance for your mother is also confirmed. You will have someone to pick her up in Rome to help her in the airport. His phone is ….

So my advice is, if you are a travel agent, offer good personalised service!! If you are a frequent or not so frequent flyer pay those 30 Euros service charge so you get tranquillity when you fly, every cent is worth it. Now if you are an airline invest in your web since not all of us have the luxury to book a flight on working hours.

In my way of seeing things the challenge is for the Airlines, they need to offer excellent web services to compete with the professionalism of the travel agents and not vice versa.

Have a good flight