AYIA Napa Municipality yesterday launched ayianapatv, going down in history as the first Cypriot town with its own internet television channel.
The new internet channel offers advice on how to plan your holiday in Ayia Napa, on accommodation, guides you how to enjoy the town’s nightlife and offers various other pointers on how to make the most out of your stay on the island.
Speaking at the launch, Ayia Napa Mayor Antonis Tsokkos said the town was co-operating with www.itvcyprus.tv to create www.ayianapatv.tv with the aim of projecting Ayia Napa on an international level.
“This will help us project Ayia Napa to the right dimensions, but also contradict the various clips that are publicised on the web by private owners, who sometimes undermine our attempts to attract tourism,” he said.
The mayor then called on private business owners to respect the town’s general tourism policies, as well as those of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO), the Hoteliers’ Association and all the tourism-related bodies, so that they don’t jeopardise all the attempts that are being made.
Public councillor Yiannos Karousos referred to the great power of internet television, pointing out that Google has around two million websites dedicated to Ayia Napa.
He added that that in May 2007, around 50,000 searches were made for Cyprus on Yahoo in Great Britain.
“Ayia Napa municipality has recognised the power that has developed and would like to take advantage of it, which is why it has decided to invest in internet television,” Karousos pointed out.
Paris Christofides, one of the directors of www.itvcyprus.tv and a member of the Ayia Napa Tourism Committee, said that yesterday was a historic day for the municipality and for Cyprus technology.
“It is the first municipality to support its own internet television. This is the beginning of a path that will help us relay the right messages about the quality of life and tourism in the entire area,” said Christofides.
The website offers a video service and, according to Christofides, “it corresponds to the needs of today’s young viewer, who wants to watch everything wherever and whenever he wishes to”.
The site offers a guide to all the most frequented restaurants, bars and clubs, while it also offers holiday planning, information on accommodation, festivals and events, travel and transport, and how to plan weddings.
It also projects a series of small documentaries relating to the town’s history, as well as short clips presenting a number of hotels, restaurants and bars.
”The various documentaries on Ayia Napa concern every visitor who wishes to know where to go, which historical places to visit, organised excursions, traditional food and wine, and more,” Christofides explained.
