Project cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund

[Cyprus island]

AGRISLES success stories booklets series

The CyprusWine Routes

Authors

Alexandros Gavriel, Department of Agriculture, Cyprus

Ploutarhos Pantelides, Cyprus Tourism Organisation

DesignICALPE - International Centre for ALPine Environments

Casa Pastureccia 20250 RIVENTOSA [FRANCE]

Introduction

This is a general overview of the status of the agriculture sector of Cyprus.In addition, it describes a success story of an application of non technological innovation in the insular environment of Cyprus.The application of this success story aims to enhance the development prospects of the rural area and show how a non technological innovation can result to territorial organization involving a public-private partnership.The analysis of this story is based on the methodological grid produced by the project Med AGRISLES.

Chapter 1Context of the Island

CyprusSyria

Lebanon

Israel

Turkey

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Brief descriptionCyprus is the crown jewel of East Mediterranean Sea. A place, whose history and civilisation spans for centuries in an ideal natural environment and a unique climate. Its strategic place at the intersection of three continents has also been a cause of misfortune for Cyprus during the last 6000 years, turning it into the object of desire for many conquerors that envied its beauty. Cyprus is located on the north-east part of the Mediterranean Sea and covers an area of 9.251 square kilometers (5.898 Km2 are controlled by the Republic of Cyprus due to the Turkish invasion of 1974) with a total population of

800.000. Nicosia is the capital of the island located at the centre of the island and it is the main commercial market of Cyprus. The Turkish invasion in 1974 and the occupation of nearly 37% of the territory of Cyprus divided Nicosia in two.

After Sicily and Sardinia Cyprus is the largest island in the Mediterranean. To the north lies the Pentadactylos mountains which consist mainly out of limestone. The mountains go up to about a 1000 meters and what is most striking about them are the sharp clifs and frayed edges. More to the southeast of the island dominate the Troodos mountains with the Olympus (1953m.) as highest top of the island. Mesaoria, a very fertile plain, lies between these mountain ranges. The south and east coast are known for their sandy beaches. There aren’t many rivers in Cyprus. They are more like mountain streams which have only water in the springtime. Cyprus used to have a lot of woods in the ancient times, but at the turn of the 20th century the mountain slopes were almost bare as a result of deforesting and fires. At the present almost a fifth of the island has some woodland by planting new trees and forests. Cyprus owes it’s name to the trade of copper in the ancient times.

Cyprus is the most dry and warm island in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean climate, warm and rather dry, with rainfall mainly between November and March, favours agriculture. In general, the island experiences mild wet winters and dry hot summers. Variations in temperature and rainfall are governed by altitude and, to a lesser extent, distance from the coast. Hot, dry summers from mid-May to mid-September and rainy, rather changeable winters from November to mid-March are separated by short autumn and spring seasons.

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General context The Republic of Cyprus is an independent state since 1960. It is divided in 6 prov-inces, Nicosía, Limmasol, Larnaca, Paphos, Kyrenia and Famagusta. Cyprus productiv-ity has undergone a complete restructuring starting from the mid1960s, passing from a primarily agriculture based economic, to a predominantly service based economy, with slight improvement of the industrial sector tied to the national as well as international markets.

The main advantages of the area are the high level of attractiveness for tourism, its geographical location and the favorable climatic conditions. On the other hand, the main weaknesses of Cyprus are the insularity of the region resulting in connection problems with central and northern Europe, the high risk of droughts and the lack of trade organization. Nevertheless, there are a lot of opportunities for improvement especially through the strengthening of economic performances through a better integration of the areas national and regional strategies.

Cyprus at a glanceArea: 9251 km²

Population: 803 200 individuals (In Government controlled area)

in urban areas: 70 %in rural areas: 30 %

Density: 117 hab/km²

GDP Structure by sector

Tertiary sector: 70%

Secondary sector: 24%

Primary sector: 6%

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Agriculture and rural areasCyprus economy and especially the rural agriculture economy are in a transitional phase due to the new economic environment as a result of the Accession of Cyprus to the European Union (EU) in 2004. Furthermore, the current global financial crisis has added further difficulties for this sector. The trade globalization and the EU agreements resulted in higher competition pressure for Cyprus products.

The total population of Cyprus (In Government controlled area) is 803.200 from which an important part, around 30% is engaged in rural areas. The evolution of the urban and rural population of Cyprus is shown in Diagram 2. As is evident from the diagram an intense urbanization occurred between 1960-1980. During the last 2 decades this problem has been stabilized mainly due to the creation of employment opportunities, substructure development and the services offered in the rural in combination with the increased living cost in urban areas.

The contribution of the agriculture sector to GDP is 6% while it continues to employ 10.3% of the total working force and contributes by 37% to the total exports.The SWOT analysis which was implemented through MED Agrisles showed that the main strengths of Cyprus are among others, the production of traditional products (like haloumi, zivania and soutzoukos) and the high level of attractiveness for tourism.On the other hand Cyprus faces major difficulties mainly due to the high risk of droughts and the intense urbanization which took place especially during the 1960s. Nevertheless, there are several opportunities arising from the accession of Cyprus to the European Union and the strengthening of economic performances through a better integration of the areas national and regional strategies.

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Challenges facing the evolution of agricultureRural development is considered very important for Cyprus as it is the instrument through which the scourge of desertification of these areas can be controlled. Agriculture in the rural can be combined with other activities like agritourism, craftsmanship, etc giving an alternative opportunity for economic development in these areas. The future of the rural areas is not single-functional. The multifunctionality of different sectors adding to the improvement of the infrastructure of the area is crucial in order to retain the younger generation in the rural but also for the preservation of the environment.The maintenance of agriculture development in these areas supported by scientific research can open a new window for development in the future.

Importance of agriculture in the regional economyEven though there are no specific data available, the decline of the agriculture sector in combination with the reduction of state funds for this sector by the end of 2012, as a result of the European Union new Common Agricultural Policy and the global financial crisis shows the significance and the need for renovating the rural sector. The induction of non-technological innovation as a mean of improvement of the organization in various levels of the agricultural economy is very important. The improvement of the organization in the level of the producer, the level of producer organizations but also in the level of the territory is maybe the key to the solution of the problems that they face, especially for the trade of their products.

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Importance of agriculture in terms of land use, landscape, biodiversityThe Turkish invasion of 1974 resulted in many problems for the Cyprus economy and to 200.000 refugees. The economic miracle of the creation of an economically viable country in limited time occurred due to the contribution of the agriculture sector and the attractiveness of the island to tourism. Even though the agriculture sector has been reduced during the last two decades we can not overlook its crucial role to the local economy, the society and the environment. Currently, a total agricultural area of about 150.000 hectares is used with farmers growing mainly cereals, olives, carobs, vines, citrus, potatoes, vegetables and others. According to the Cyprus Statistical Service, 21.2% are permanent crops, 51.8% are temporary crops and the rest of this area is used as fallow, uncultivated, forested and for grazing.

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Chapter 2

The Cyprus Wine

Routes13

SummaryThe Cyprus Wine Routes project has been implemented by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) and was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The goal of the project was to create a network of itineraries, which would reveal the identity of the specific geographical areas and hence would attract increased numbers of visitors and tourists to those rural areas. The deliverables of the project consisted of 6 sign-posted itineraries that run through various areas of Cyprus closely associated with vines and wines, guides and brochures with maps, showing the route and its various stages. The routes allow visitors to discover the wine products of the region and the activities associated with them. This “discovering” is carried out directly in vineyards, allowing the traveller to meet the local producers, and in spaces specifically organised around the wine production such as wineries and wine museums. The itineraries involve visits at wineries, discovery of natural landscapes and vistas, visits at museums and other cultural/religious monuments, the chance to shop for traditional products and savour culinary specialities in selected tavernas/ restaurants.

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Historical development of the experienceThe Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) acknowledged that these less developed rural areas are rich with cultural resources which would appeal to special interest tourists. Having recognized the important potential of these tourism resources, CTO included in its Strategic Plan for Tourism, the creation of wine routes as key actions in its broader goal of promoting rural tourism as a special interest product. Within this framework, CTO implemented the Cyprus Wine Routes project which was co-funded 50% by the European Regional Development Fund and 50% by national resources, during the Programming Period 2000 – 2006. The goal of the project was to create a network of itineraries, which would reveal the identity of the specific geographical areas and hence would attract increased numbers of visitors and tourists to those rural areas. The deliverables of the project consisted of 6 sign-posted itineraries that run through various areas of Cyprus closely associated with vines and wines, guides and brochures with maps, showing the route and its various stages.

Starting pointCyprus has a wine tradition that goes back centuries, with specific rural areas preserving their local wine producing heritage. This tradition is clearly reflected in various archaeological findings and in the geographical clustering of wine-producing villages in a region known as the “Krasochoria”. This local specificity and the geographical proximity of wine villages, combined with other wine-related cultural aspects and other natural points of interest, presented an opportunity for the development of ‘route tourism’. Defining and mapping a route would result in linking together the various tourism resources of a number of smaller communities and collectively marketing them to visitors as a single tourism destination region. This falls in line with the observed trend of visitors increasingly wanting to live authentic experiences during their stay abroad.

Anogira Village

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Approach or methodology usedCTO used a market-driven approach by which the specific communities’ tourism products, the local wines and their related activities and goods, were defined and “packaged” to be attractive to tourism markets. The itineraries involve visits at the wineries, discovery of natural landscapes and vistas, visits at museums and other cultural/religious monuments, the chance to shop for traditional products and savour culinary specialities in selected tavernas/ restaurants. With their inclusion in the network, every winery and tavern/restaurant acquires benefits but is also subject to obligations. These businesses gain from the publicity and exposure, while their obligations are mainly focused on compliance to the selection criteria, which were set by the initial study. For wineries, these criteria include amongst others the provision of facilities suitable for wine tasting and the proper maintenance of buildings, equipment and environment of the wineries. For tavernas, the criteria include amongst others the inclusion of a representative selection of local wines in its Menu and Wine List, the respect of correct serving procedures for the various types of wine, and the inclusion of a selection of traditional Cypriot dishes.

The steps:Preparation of a study in order to evaluate the existing situation, infrastructureand superstructure available in the viticulture areas in Cyprus.

Consultation with wine producers, local authorities, owners of rural tourismestablishments and other professionals focussing on rural development.

Application for sponsorship of specific actions by the EU.

Preparation of action plan based on the results of the study already executed forthe design and promotion of wine routes

Setting of quality standards for inclusion of wineries in the project

Development of educational skills

Involvement of local societies in project implementation

Provision of educational seminars for tourist guides, winery owners

Familiarisation trips for journalists and tour operators in rural areas

Organised excursions in the wine routes

Networking with other networks of wine routes in Europe

The pathways allow visitors to discover the wine products of the region and the activities associated with them. This “discovering” is carried out directly in vineyards, allowing the traveller to meet the local producers, and in spaces specifically organised around the wine production such as wineries and wine museums.

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Results obtainedBy linking the tourism industry to the agricultural sector, the Cyprus Wine Routes unlock development opportunities for both sectors and contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of those employed in them. The Routes have led to an increase in the demand for local goods and services, encouraging the development of businesses and contributing to their commercial viability. The Routes have also resulted in increased numbers of visitors to the area, who often do not stay there but show higher expenditure to pursue their particular interests.In brief, the main achievements:

Involvement of agricultural businesses in tourism activities

Exploitation of new opportunities for agricultural businesses

Further promotion of rural tourism in agriculture areas

Diversification of economic activities in agriculture areas

Development of new networks in agriculture areas

Wine Museum in Erimi

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Initial situation Current situation

YEARS 2004 2008

ACHIEVEMENTS

INDICATOR 1 Lack of cooperation among the main stakeholders

Establish mechanisms ofcooperation among local authori-ties, micro businesses in the coun-tryside and tourism professionals

INDICATOR 2 Insufficient signposting for winer-ies in rural areas

Signposting of 6 routes in the countryside

INDICATOR 3 There was a need forqualitative improvement

of the events organized in rural ar-eas

Organisation of more thematic wine events in rural areas

RESULTS

INDICATOR 1 Establishment of the wine route company responsible for the pro-

motion of Cyprus

INDICATOR 2 Interest from tourism profession-als in rural tourism and especially

wine

INDICATOR 3 Positive effects in the promotion of Cyprus wines

INDICATOR 4 Diversification of the tourist prod-uct in rural areas

Winery in Kathikas

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ConclusionThe development of tourism activities through the implementation of the Cyprus Wine Routes has contributed to an enriched range of experiences for the visitors. At the same time, they have contributed to the sustainable development of the areas, by acting as a catalyst to stimulate economic growth, to provide alternative forms of employment to the local work force, to retain local population and to increase the standard of living of local communities. CTO made optimal usage of the cultural and environmental resources which constitute a key element in tourism development, by ensuring viable, long-term economic operations which provide socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders, while respecting the socio-cultural authenticity of the host communities.

Ineia Village

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Governo dos Açores

The partners of the MED AGRISLES project, representing public authorities in charge of agriculture and rural development in the Balearic islands (Spain), Corsica (France, project lead partner), Sardinia and Sicily (Italy), Gozo (Malta), the Northern Sporades (Thessaly) and North-Aegean archipelagos (Greece), the Cyprus island (Cyprus) and the Azores (Portugal), altogether are exchanging experiences and developing a common method for non-technological innovation in agriculture and rural development. They publish a series of booklets to disseminate identified best practices on this issue.

The Cyprus Wine Routes is an original approach for the valorization of the Cyprus agriculture in order to diversify the touristic products and adopt a strategy of sustainable development of the rural tourism. These thematic roads represent a true challenge for the promotion of the rural tourism but also for the wine production. A charter of quality has been implemented to select the wine farms which may be able to welcome the roads...

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