news: review: Cyprus surprises on FAM trip
Cyprus surprises on FAM trip
The Middle East office of Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) recently organised a successful corporate FAM trip to raise awareness of the Mediterranean island as a meetings and incentives destination.
The three-day trip took in traditional heritage sites and Cypriot signature experiences, as well as showcasing some of the hotel properties available for both leisure and business travellers.
Rishi Raj, the recently appointed regional sales and marketing manager for CTO, said he was confident that Cyprus has the facilities and infrastructure to appeal to corporate events from the Middle East. Raj also stated that Cyprus had surprised the trip attendees.
“The corporate clients were expecting Cyprus to be a leisure destination only,” says Raj. “However, they realised that Cyprus would be a good destination to mix business with leisure. Cyprus is a short flight from Dubai and the various hotels cater to both small and large groups by providing good meeting facilities.”
A relatively small island, the itinerary was able to comfortably include the major centres of Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaka, plus traditional villages, within three days.
The island has good options for team building, dining and various other activities for meeting and incentive groups, as well as enjoying good air connections from the region, with direct flights from Emirates, Etihad and Gulf Air taking around four hours.
“The meeting facilities provided by the hotels cater groups from to 20 to 500-plus,” says Raj. “The destination offers flexible rates throughout the year, especially from January to April during the shoulder season. As well as being value for money, there is a wide range of activities for everybody to enjoy.”
The group travelled with Emirates airline from Dubai to Larnaka and were then taken to Nicosia, where they stayed at the Hilton Nicosia. A city tour took in the Presidential palace, various museums, Saint John Cathedral and the popular shopping district, Ledra Street.
Day two began with a 4x4 activity before taking in a number of traditional villages en route to an overnight at Le Meridien Limassol. The highlights on day three included a visit to Koukila Castle (available for events), Pafos Harbour, and a vintage car transfer to the farewell dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel in Limassol.
For more information, see: www.visitcyprus.com
