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“Best Tourist Destination of Intangible Heritage”
The gorgeous area of Agros has been voted as the “Best Tourist Destination of Intangible heritage” for organizing the “Rose Festival” within the context of the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) programme.
The course towards the award
The Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) proclaimed a national competition for the selection of the “Best Tourist Destination of Intangible heritage”. In this competition, the three regions of Agros, Marathassa and Pitsilia submitted a candidature.
This particular programme is co-financed by the European Commission – Tourism Unit. The participants in the programme included 20 countries and each one voted for its own National Winner Destination. The participant countries were the following: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey and Finland.
The awarding
Agros, as it is characteristically written in the “Agros” * magazine, was “awarded for the Rose Festival which constitutes an event elevating the island’s intangible heritage resulting from the constructive cooperation of the Community with businesspeople from the tourist industry, with producers of local products and with the involvement of the youth” (p.8).
Agros now constitutes one of the 20 chosen European destinations. Therefore, the community has ensured that it will be promoted within a European-wide tourist campaign both by the European Commission and the Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) through, for instance, the website of the www.cyprus.eden.com programme, a film and a promotion leaflet.
Following are comments concerning the awarding of Agros as a tourist destination as these were presented in the “Agros” magazine. * In particular, cited below is an article by Michalis Demosthenous, a specialist in tourist issues (pp. 9-10), as well as the speech of the president of the Community Council (pp.12-14).
Michalis Demosthenous writes:
I refer to the recent bestowal of the “European Destinations of Excellence” Award by EDEN to the community of Agros during the 7th European Forum in Bordeaux, France, as the community has been voted as the best tourist destination of intangible heritage in Europe. The award is offered to destinations which combine commercial success with social, cultural and environmental sustainability.
It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that we, the tourist notables of our country, read about such tourist news which greatly promote the tourist and cultural side of our island, Cyprus.
We congratulate the community of Agros, the Community Council and its president for the appealing and cultural activities they hold and have been holding for so long with great success, since it was all these activities which led the committee of EDEN to select the community of Agros for this honorary distinction among 20 other European locations.
I wish that this success will get multiple messages through and I also congratulate all other communities of Cyprus which are making efforts to cure the syndrome of rural depopulation and financial deprivation by creating job positions for the residents in the tourist industry through the construction of agrotourist accommodations, local fabrications, wineries, traditional museums and other interests, with the ultimate goal being to attract visitors so that they would get to know their Communities.
The president of the Community Council, Mr. Chr. Papachristoforou has welcomed and thanked everybody for their help and support:
Honourable Mr. Minister
Reverends
Honourable Member of the Parliament
Honourable Mr. General Director of the Ministry of Communications
Distinguished Guests
Dear citizens and friends of Agros
It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that I welcome you on behalf of the Community Council, the Organising Committee, the Organised Parties and the entire Community to our annual Festival, this great celebration of Agros.
We particularly welcome and thank the honorable minister of Communication and Works, Mr. Nicos Nicolaides, who has accepted our invitation and set this great and bright event, which he now honours with his presence, under his auspices especially this year that Agros was awarded as the best tourist destination of Cyprus in a European Union competition in which 20 European Countries took part in.
This award assigns, Mr. Minister, both the State and Local Administration with more obligations and responsibilities for further progress and development of the Community and the wider region. The primary and most important role in attracting internal tourism and visitors will be played by a well constructed road network, leading from the urban centres to the village of Agros.
All our visitors use the finest of words to express themselves about the beautiful environment, the fine climate, the fresh air, the cool and crystal water, the excellent quality fruit and vegetables, the local traditional products and dishes, the local traditional and Mediterranean nutrition, the traditional hospitality and kindness of the residents, the peace, quiet and beauty of the scenery of Agros.
What is, however, tiring and troubling is the great number of curves along the road, especially the ones along the road which leads to Agros from Lemesos. At his formal moment, all people present and many others are anxiously expecting to hear the competent minister officially announcing the government’s decision for the construction of a part of the Kalo Chorio - Zoopigi by-pass road, which will be expanded by 4 kilometres and reach a length of 12 kilometres within the next year.
Moreover, I would like to ask you Mr. Minister if you could inform our people on the part of the road leading from “Agros” to “Kato Mylos” and on the part of the Paramytha road which will be united with the four lane road leading from Lemesos to Platres. We would also like to be informed on the road leading from Nicosia to Palaichori and Agros since a new one is planned to be constructed up to the army camp of Klirou and which will be of two lanes leading to each direction.
This new and improved road network will minimize the time needed to reach the urban centres, will help the youth decide to live permanently in the countryside, will reduce fuel consumption and car damages, will help in the increase of tourists visiting the area, will put an end to the “plague” called rural depopulation and will bring life back to our area.
Finally, I would like to thank everybody who has contributed to this successful event, these being the Community Council of Agros, the Youth Centre of Agros, the Women’s Club of Agros, the Athletic Club “Achilleas” Agrou, the Association of Farmers and Friends of Agros, the Forest Friends Association of Agros, the Development Company of Agros “Proodos Ltd” and our sponsors which are the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation CTO, the Rodon Hotel and the “AGROS” Water.
I would also like to thank the orchestra, the “Exedra” music band and Greek singer Thanos Tzanis who will sing tomorrow night at the event, the lighting and sound operators, the dance groups, the various kiosks and generally everybody who helped planning and organizing this beautiful event.
I would particularly like to thank the District Agricultural Office of Pitsilia, our fruit producers, craftspeople, SEDIGEP, photographer Charalambos Tsolakis and everybody who has helped organizing the various exhibitions which you will have the opportunity to visit.
Lastly, a big “thank you” to the person responsible for organizing and coordinating the event, the secretary of the Community Council, Mr. Nikos Vakanas. Once more, I thank all of you who honour us with your presence and we wish you a beautiful and pleasant evening.
Enjoy yourselves.
Source:
“Agros” Magazine, December 2008, pp1-14
The Awarding of Agros as the “Best Tourist Destination of Intangible Heritage”,
“AGROS” Magazine, Dec. 2008
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