New getaway scheme to promote Sunday Escapes
The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) is launching an innovative new scheme, dubbed the ‘Sunday Escapes’, offering oneday excursions around the island until June 2019 to encourage local tourism.
The series of one-day guided tours begins Sunday, September 30, and seeks to introduce Cypriots and Cyprus residents to the hidden wonders of the island.
The Sunday Escapes replaces the Weekend Escapes that was running until last year and included overnight stays.
CTO official Maria Socratous said the organisation had trouble in finding accommodation for the participants, as a number of hotels during the high season were fully booked, and in the low season a fair number of hotels closed for the winter.
“This is also something that people have been asking for, so we took the opportunity to modify our programme. We are also optimistic that this change will help us to get more people on board, such as families who may find it difficult to spend the night at a hotel,” said Socratous.
She said that each month which the excursions will archaeology.
The first trip is a guided tour of Paphos, as its significant archaeological monuments date back to antiquity.
“The plan is to repeat each excursion four times a month, each Sunday setting off from a different district. Since there will have a theme around revolve, starting with is only one Sunday left for this month, buses depart from all towns, Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Ayia Napa in the morning and stop at Aphrodite’s Rock and the archaeological site of Kouklia,” said the CTO officer.
Socratous said that the first excursion will also be a “sort of celebration with a music and dance event taking place after a meal at a local tavern and a tour of Yeroskipou.
Each month will be dedicated to different aspect of Cyprus. October will take participants on a gastronomic tour through the island’s different local cuisine, while March will be dedicated to the country’s wine producing region.
There will be months dedicated to agricultural, religious and cultural tourism.
“For the more adventurous types, there will be hiking and mountain bike excursions. People who would like to take a stroll in nature can join us in February,” said Socratous.
She added: “There will be a guided tour of Ayios Theodoros in Solea. The walking pace will be fast, and people will need to bring suitable walking gear.”
In June there will be cycling excursions taking place in the Troodos mountains (bikes can be rented).
People wanting to join the two more adventurous excursions should pay attention to requirements posted online.
All excursions will be guided by CTO professionals who will also be able to give the tour in English for people who are interested but do not speak Greek.
Reservations can be made by calling 77-778050 or 22713760 Monday to Friday from 9am until 1pm and 2pm until 5pm.
The deadline for reservations is 11.00 am on Thursday for this coming Sunday. Places are limited. Each trip lasts around 8 to 10 hours, with prices varying from 17 euros to 42 euros, depending on the excursion for that month.