DISY deputy Lefteris Christoforou has proposed the establishment of a tourist police to serve in holiday areas and give information and advice to visitors.
Christoforou submitted his proposal to the House Commerce and Industry Committee yesterday.
Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Nicos Rolandis welcomed the suggestion and said the government was already considering the idea.
“But the move would require an extra 300-400 policemen to serve in tourist areas. I don’t expect this to be easy,” he warned the Committee.
“The idea is that tourist policemen would not be dressed as ordinary policemen, so as not to scare people away. We need to boost policing and patrolling in tourist areas but we don’t want to make people uncomfortable by placing an ordinary policeman on every corner. Tourist policemen would also give information and advice to holidaymakers,” Christoforou said.
The mayors of Ayia Napa and Paralimni, who were present at the Committee meeting, asked for more money to be allocated to tourism.
Ayia Napa Mayor Varvara Pericleous complained: “There are only 10 people in each hotel during the winter period. We need more marinas, a sports’ centre and most of all, we need more money from the government to implement tourist projects. The Cyprus Tourism Organisation should bring public attention to our churches and to the Cape Greco area.”
Nicos Vlittis, Mayor of Paralimni, suggested that the government should spend £30 million per year instead of the current £16 million to support tourism.
Rolandis replied that a ministry action plan to support tourism had already been approved by the Cabinet and would be submitted to the House in about two weeks’ time.
“We plan to attract all kinds of holidaymakers, not only those who come for the beaches and the sun, but also those who like sports, to collect items, to attend cultural events etc,” the minister said.
But on the financial side, Rolandis said that, “there is only a limited amount that can be used for tourism”.
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