The problem with the CTO is they won't llisten to the people who have what they feel are very legitemate complaints. By and large, people don't complain unnessacarily and there are so many good postings on this thread. Unfortunately none will be listened to. The CTO need to stop altering figures and listen to the reasons people are voting with their feet.
Apart from the 'rip off' mentality of many bars and tavernas there are taxi drivers who think they're on a race track; and demand to be paid a race driver's rate and there is also the fact that very few people in shops can be bothered to be polite or even smile. The friendly Cypriot shopkeeper is a thing of the past now and has been replaced by foriegn nationals with a real attitude problem and there is no protection from shops who sell faulty goods. The fact that there are endless roadworks, litter everywhere, boy racers riding their bikes on the pavements with a complete disregard for the safety of others, an increase of abusive graffiti, blatant racial discrimination is widespread and the police ( I use the term loosely) are an affront to the uniform. All this contributes to the lack of tourists who will go home to wherever they came and spread the word. Good or bad.

Come on CTO, if you do nothing else this week, listen to what people are saying. Before it's too late.

I have just visited the website provided to participate as requested above and the website does not allow the selection of English therefore I am unab le to complete your request. This is not a good start to becoming an ambassador. Cyprus needs to take care of the small details which is sadly lacking in many areas.

Public opinion of improvememts of the Cypriot tourism would be very important for the future and without a forum which works this is impossible. The website should at least work properly before asking for volunteers !

Perhaps the CTO should consist of ex-pats from the counties where they are trying to attract tourists. Now that would give them an insite!! I'll join....

James JH : "They can put on Nice ELAM Tee Shirts to vet tourists who meet there Standards and Allow to pass. "
THESE SCARING EVENTS IN THE CENTRE OF LEFKOSIA! WHAT A CONTRADICTION TO THE IMAGE OF "SINCERE HOSPITALITY" THE COUNTRY BELIEVES TO BE PROMOTING.

Bambouin makes an excellent point: yes Cyprus is 'at the crossroads of Europe, African and Asia' but it doesn't have the transport links to support this feature and as such is very limited in its tourism and business opportunities. Part of this is that the lack of good bus and rail links means you get the lower standard of tourists who won't pay high prices and move elsewhere, yet neither can Cyprus attract the more exploratory tourist who wants to see the churches and villages yet can't find buses to take him/her there.

Cyprus' obsession with 'being Greek' rather than celebrating its hybridity of a crossroads means that its tourism can't develope as it needs to. It needs to look east as well as west, promoting Cyprus as a stop-over to the Near and Middle East, and not as just a Greek-like island beyond Rhodes (yet far more expensive). For years Cyprus had a third world airport (Larnaca) and so couldn't even promote the island as a 'crossroads' hub. Slowly slowly that is changing, but Cyrpus has to think as a Euro-Near East 'hub' and improve both the infrastructure and public transport. Tourism package with Egypt via Louis Cruise Lines work well enough: this can extend to Lebanon and Syria (and Israel). Aviation wise, a merger of Cyprus Airways and Eurocypria and full privitisation would allow Cyprus Airways into one of the Alliances where it can boost its Middle East connections. If a rail link was built too, that would transform much for the better.

The potential for Cyprus to realise its geographical position is there: but it takes will to realise it and a broader vision of what Cyrpus is. It is better to be both Europe and Middle East than just defining yourself as a car-congested, overpriced uncompetitive beach holiday Southern European banality. Be more ambitious!

"...They are appealing to patriotic Cypriots to “show their love for their motherland” by becoming an ambassador in tourism and helping to boost the industry..."

AM SO EXCITED...
... I JUST CANT HIDE IT

Baron Bolligrew is right.
Being myself and my family one of many who have been repatriated to a country which we left in one piece and after we came back we found it devided in two,it must have been a patriotic move from our side bringing along a life's time savings.
After the invasion and catastrophe,we contributed by sending money and materials to the special fund raising organisation whithout being reminded about our patriotism.
On our return we found a different society and some governmental departments hostile.
CTO and the rest of State Organisations before preaching others about patriotism,should excercise it first themselves by justifying the budget spent and their fat salaries and overtime wages and other benefits they unjustly receive.
I cannot help it but how can I forget to call upon CTO brothers PASYDY to show a little bit of patriotism in order to come out of the crises by accepting real patriotic sacrifices?

Loriot - True, not a bad option in some cases, and I wouldn't mind doing it, but, fortunately I am no longer in that job or in Cyprus full time.

I did used to go to Istanbul quite a few times per year on business, but things in Cyprus being as they are, had to fly via Athens. The ATH-IST segment was normally turk hava yollari, and to be honest, i wasn't that impressed. Better than CY for sure (not a high hurdle, admittedly), but not that great. That was a few years ago, maybe they're better now.

The best ambassadors for Cyprus would be returning holiday makers If they hads a good time at a comparrable cost to elsewhere on a litter free Island where you could walk comforatbly on pavements and where goods could be purchased as cheap if not cheaper than elswhere. Oh and dare I say where they could drive on roadwork free roads.

Disband CTO as soon as labour legislation allows the sacking of everyone in the organisation (with the exception the secretaries, drivers, telephone operators, archivists, tea-ladies and other real people: this is about anyone with even most miniscule decision making power).

I'd be very happy to promote Cyprus - spent several very happy years there - the website cited in the article is only available in Greek which is spoken in Greece and Cyprus. Nobody else knows the language. Hellenism died 2500 year ago.It is over. Deal with it.

I note that head of CTO stated that "there would be raft of new flights by EasyJet" from Scotland, after the demise of Globespan,who had 5 flights a week to Cyprus, however these flights have never materialised. There are now very few flights directly from Scotland and we have to travel down to England to get flights to Cyprus.

Bambouin, there is a solution for your business trips. Pick up the frequent THY flights from Ercan to Istanbul, where you have connections within the hour to all points of the globe. Cheaper and better service too!

The Cyprus Tourist Organisation should be disbanded.
It has failed in every way to do it's very well paid job.
For all the use they are it's members would be more successful if they were each sent to stand in tourist airports with a large sign saying 'Come to Cyprus.'
They should concentrate on making a visit to Cyprus affordable; by attacking both the travel costs and the rip off unfriendly mentality that today is found everywhere in Cyprus.
The popularity of Cyprus as a tourist destination was NOT achieved by the C.T.O. but by word of mouth from satisfied customers.
The demise of Cyprus as a holiday destination has come about , again by word of mouth, this time from grossly dis-satisfied customers.
Until Cypriots get their act together and go back to providing what the customer wants; value for money and a friendly welcome; the tourists will continue to go in increasing numbers to Turkey, and other friendly value for money destinations.

I am sure there are some good intentions somewhere, but this just sounds like desperation from a govt.-funded organisation that doesn't have a clue and is panicking because the traditional market of the "sun,sand,sea" tourists is drying up. Also, I wish someone would tell me about these "excellent and convenient transport links from Africa, the Middle East and the rest of Europe" because I have yet to discover them.