|
The
Agrotourism experience in Cyprus – the product of responsible tourism
Cyprus, the
birthplace of Aphrodite is a land with a wealth of people, cultures and
natural history. Situated at the far eastern end of the Mediterranean,
the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia, it links Europe with the
Middle East, Russia, Central Asia and the Far East it can also be called
the gateway to the East. The island has had many masters over the
centuries making it rich in both history and culture.
A popular holiday
destination for many years Cyprus has a lot to offer. Up till recently
the trend was for, sun, sea and sand but people have become more
discerning on their choice of holiday and now prefer to have an
authentic and responsible experience. Being more health conscious there
is now a greater variety of sports and activities such as golf, cycling,
horse riding, to join tennis, swimming and diving to name but a few.
The Agrotourism
experience in Cyprus was identified in the 1990’s and the formation of
the Cyprus Agrotourism Company came into operation in 1994. The
inception of Agrotourism was a CTO (Cyprus Tourism Organization)
initiative and a lot of money is currently being spent of developing
Agrotourism with EU grants being offered yearly to fund projects which
enrich the islands village tourism. Sustainable tourism is a world
trend and there is also a lot of work being done by the Travel
foundation who last year, helped the locals set up the Cyprus
Sustainable Tourism Initiative to promote eco and Agrotourism.
Village
tourism is a rough translation of Agrotourism; the word can better be
described as country tourism which is a more literal translation.
Basically Agrotourism is the experience of the country living, the
interaction between the lodgings, nature and cultural heritage.
The emphasis is
on rejuvenating the village and the community and grants are being
offered to renovate old houses, wineries and workshops. Many of the
traditional crafts are fast dying out so there is resurgence of interest
in reviving them, communities are being encouraged to bring back local
handicrafts and there are many seminars and workshops to train the
locals in old crafts. New ventures which enrich the countryside are
also encouraged; an example of this can be seen in Kalavasos which has a
beautiful
Aromatic Herb Garden.
An excellent
example of a traditional village house is
Kontoyiannis House in Kalavasos village. It a stone built village
house centred round a large courtyard. Its architecture and set up is
typical of wealthy landowner’s residences on the late 1890’s. There are
large and airy rooms with some beautiful stone built alcoves and
overhanging vines which are great for relaxation and harmony. The
traditional village house if fast becoming a great option for the
Agrotourism experience.
Staying at a
traditional village house means you can have a coffee in the village
square with the locals and play a game of ‘tavli’ (backgammon). You can
then go and pick some fruit from the orchard, visit the local olilve
press to see how olive oil is made, or buy a nice bottle of wine from
the many family wineries dotted all over the island.
The Agrotourism
experience offers the traveller a taste of the real Cyprus. It enables
them to pass the day interacting with the village folks; visit the many
mountain wineries, Byzantine churches, ancient monuments, mountain
trails. Enjoy days by the sea or in the mountains, see the difference
between town and village living. The Agrotourism experience offers the
luxury of a tailor made holiday, there is so much to choose from. You
can get all the information you need, from the Cyprus tourist office.
We also have quite a lot of information on the
Kontoyiannis House Cyprus website
|
