The Cyprus Tourism Organisation has recently participated in the partner’s meeting of the European project “ECOTOUR”, in Estonia, which is a Leonardo da Vinci transfer of innovation program co-funded by the European Commission. CTO was represented by Ms. Maro Kazepi, Tourist Officer A’, Project Coordinator at CTO Strategy Department. The project aims to improve the skills and competences of ecotourism stakeholders in Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania and Spain, while at the same time encouraging ecotourism development in project countries in particular and Europe in general. The project started in October 2011 and will be completed in September 2013. The final product of the project will be the development of an ecotourism training program in Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania and Spain.
ECOTOUR is implemented by a consortium of eight partners from four EU countries: Cyprus, Spain, Estonia, and Lithuania. The consortium includes education and training organisations, enterprises and authorities responsible for tourism development, thus allowing to combine different views and experiences and achieve the expected impact of the project.
The Cyprus partners include the Cyprus University of Technology [lead partner], the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and X-Panel company. The project is for people in tourism: entrepreneurs and managers of tourism SMEs. The training product might also be used by tourism policy makers, students, or people living in rural communities that would learn how to present and transfuse their knowledge on the surrounding nature and local culture to the tourists.
Source: Visit Cyprus