European award for Troodos Mountains

THE Troodos Mountains have been named one of ten best rural tourist destinations under the “European Destinations of Excellence” (EDEN) award.

European Commission Vice President Gunter Verheugen awarded the excellence prize for the ten best emerging rural destinations at the European Annual Tourism Forum in Portugal last week. A statement from the Commission described Troodos as: “A relaxing break away from cosmopolitan coastal resorts”.

“The area offers an abundance of things to do and see: walking or cycling through forest nature trails, attending local village festivals, experiencing the local traditional cuisine and discovering the cultural treasures of UNESCO World Heritage sites are among the main pursuits,” it said.

The aim of EDEN is to draw attention to the value, diversity and shared characteristics of European tourist destinations and to promote destinations where commercial success goes hand in hand with social, cultural and environmental sustainability. It also creates awareness of Europe’s tourist diversity and quality, besides promoting Europe as the foremost tourism destination in the world.

The other nine prize-winning destinations are: the Pielachtal valley in Austria, Durbuy community in Belgium, the district of Sveti Martin na Muri in Croatia, the region of Florina in Greece, the Orseg region in Hungary, the Clonakilty District in Ireland, the site of Specchia in Italy, Kuldiga town in Latvia and Nadur site in Malta.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.