World Tourism Day 2021
A photo exhibition organised by CSTI and partners to celebrate the World Tourism Day.
With a photo exhibition titled: «Plastic Pollution – another threat to the beauty of our sand and sea & key contributor to environmental degradation» CSTI along with project: “Keep our Sand and Sea Plastic Free”, the British High Commission, the Deputy Ministries of Tourism and Shipping and the Municipality of Ayia Napa choose to send the message of the protection of our sand and sea. The event was held in Ayia Napa on the World Tourism Day.
The British High Commissioner, the Shipping Deputy Minister, the Mayor of Ayia Napa, the presidents of PASIXE and PASIDIXE Famagusta and up to 80 people attended the event. All the guests had the opportunity to be guided through the great photographs that were part of the photo exhibition and to enjoy the beauty of the island through the photos. An important aspect of the exhibition was to raise awareness about the effects of plastic pollution and climate change to the degradation of the environment.
Additionally, the event included a Producer’s Fair with more than 10 local producers, who had the opportunity to demonstrate their work and their products highlighting the power of Tourism for Inclusive Growth, which is World Tourism Day 2021 main message. According to the organizers, “every small business has its role to add to an authentic experience for tourists in Cyprus”.
The Deputy Minister of Shipping, Vassilios Demetriades acknowledged this event as a significant initiative organized in Ayia Napa on the occasion of World Tourism Day and stressed that « rising awareness amongst the citizens for the protection of the environment in the land and in the sea is very important. We need to create the culture and the environmental consciousness» he added.
The British High Commissioner in Cyprus, Stephen Lillie, spoke in Greek and pointed out that « in less than eight weeks the United Kingdom will organize the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow. More than 190 world leaders will travel to Scotland for the proceedings of the conference, that is said to be one of the last attempts to set the world on the right route to avoid the destructive and non-reversible climate change».
The Mayor of Ayia Napa, Christos Zannetou mentioned that « our beaches and our seas are the main natural resources of the island especially for our area, and despite this fact, they are being constantly threatened by many factors, one of the being the plastic pollution that threatens not only the environment but additionally affects the public health».
Closing the ceremony, the Chairman of Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative, Philippos Drousiotis mentioned that « the Event was organized on World Tourism Day and highlights the message « Tourism is good for all and no one should be left behind. This message is very important as we restart tourism». He added that « the exhibition is part of a project that is active in the Ayia Napa, Protaras and the wider Famagusta region of Cyprus, aiming to cut the consumption of single use plastic and to reduce the pollution of our seas. The exhibition’s photographs demonstrate the natural beauties of the region and some of the main problems as well as the solutions that are accessible thought the project».
More information on the “Keep our Sand and Sea Plastic Free” project can be found here: https://www.sandseaplasticfree.org/