BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY

CYPRUS AS A WINTER DESTINATION: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

SAVVINA KARYOPOULI MSc MANAGEMENT WITH MARKETING 2010

ABSTRACT
Seasonal fluctuations of demand are a common characteristic of the Mediterranean islands. This can be attributed to the distinct qualities of island destinations, their vulnerability, peripherality and isolation. This seasonality causes many problems within the affected destinations, such as loss of revenue during the off-peak season, seasonal employment and overuse of natural and built resources during the peak season. Continuous research came up with strategies aiming to aid destinations mitigate seasonality, such as pricing strategies, diversification of the product mix, and the target market. However, the many challenges that island destinations face, due to their distinct characteristics, may preclude mitigating the seasonal variations of demand. This thesis focuses on Cyprus, a mature sun-and-sea Mediterranean island destination, as a case study, in order to determine whether Cyprus has the qualities needed to address seasonality. The findings indicate that Cyprus has the necessary geographical features to mitigate the seasonal fluctuations of demand that it experiences, by diversifying its product. However, the dependency of the Cypriot tourism industry on the small number of tour operators, air travel companies and on the narrow tourism product of the sun-and-sea prevents the development of winter tourism. In addition, issues of governance could be perceived as a hindrance, since, government rigidity, extensive bureaucracy and insufficient coordination within the public sector delay the product development process. Lastly, the misinterpretation of tourism practice from the public sector, as well as inadequate cooperation, coordination and communication among the tourism industrys stakeholders has precluded the development of the product required in addressing the current tourists demands and tackling seasonality. It is vital, the issues presented above to be taken into consideration, in order for Cyprus to successfully develop winter tourism, and thus, address seasonality.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Christina Koutra, for all her support and time spent helping me throughout this journey. Without her invaluable suggestions on the content and quality of this thesis, it would have never been materialised. A very special thank you to my parents, Lia and Petros, for their psychological and financial support all through my academic and personal life. Without their constant encouragement, I would have never reached the completion of this thesis. I would also like to thank my sisters, Katerina, Eplida and Dimitra, for their continuous support and for giving me something else to think about instead of this thesis. Thank you for everything! An exceptional thank you to Michalis Polatoglou and Dina Lepinioti, for their constant and valuable support throughout my masters degree. I would like to show my gratitude for the time that they have spent calming me down, and realising my worries about this thesis. Thank you so much! Lastly, I must thank Dr. Joseph Josephides for his ideas on the early development of this thesis. Furthermore, I must thank all the participants that allowed me to interview them in order to complete this thesis. Their contribution was invaluable for the completion of this project.

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DECLARATION
Research Project Declaration
I agree that, should the University wish to retain it for reference purposes, a copy of my Research Project may be held by Bournemouth University normally for a period of 3 academic years. I understand that once the retention period has expired my Research Project will be destroyed.

Confidentiality
I confirm that this Research Project does not contain information of a commercial or confidential nature or include personal information other than that which would normally be in the public domain unless the relevant permissions have been obtained. In particular any information which identifies a particular individuals religious or political beliefs, information relating to their health, ethnicity, criminal history or sex life has been anonymised unless permission has been granted for its publication from the person to whom it relates.

Copyright
The copyright for this Research Project remains with me.

Requests for Information

I agree that this Research Project may be made available as the result of a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

Signed:

Name: Savvina Karyopouli

Date: 11/01/10

Programme: MSc Management with Marketing

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Originality Declaration

I declare that this Research Project is all my own work and the sources of information and material I have used (including the Internet) have been fully identified and properly acknowledged as required in the guidelines given in the Programme Handbook which I have received

Signed:

Name: Savvina Karyopouli

Date: 11/01/10

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. LITERATURE OVERVIEW................................................................................................................................ 2 1.2.1. Theoretical framework ................................................................................................................. 2 1.3. RESEARCH AREA ......................................................................................................................................... 4 1.4. ORIGINALITY OF THE RESEARCH ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.5. FINDINGS OVERVIEW................................................................................................................................... 5 1.6. RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................... 6 1.6.1. Research aim ................................................................................................................................ 6 1.6.2. Research objectives ...................................................................................................................... 6 1.7. RESEARCH APPROACH AND METHODS ............................................................................................................. 7 1.8. CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE .................................................................................................................... 7 1.9. STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS ........................................................................................................................... 8 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................................. 11 2.1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 11 2.2. COASTAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT ..................................................................................................................... 15 2.2.1. Sustainable Coastal Development...................................................................................................... 19 2.3. CONVENTIONAL MASS TOURISM VERSUS NEW FORMS OF TOURISM ........................................................................... 21 2.4. THE DIVERSITY OF COASTAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................. 26 2.5. DIVERSIFYING THE TOURISM PRODUCT ................................................................................................................ 29 2.6. THE DIVERSITY OF MASS TOURISM AND NEW FORMS OF TOURISM............................................................................. 32 2.6.1. Tourisms seasonal and spatial concentration ................................................................................... 35 2.7. SHIFTING MODES OF PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION .......................................................................................... 40 2.8. DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIAL INTEREST TOURISM (SIT) ............................................................................................. 45 2.9. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................. 49 3. TOURISM IN CYPRUS ................................................................................................................................. 51 3.1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 51 3.2. AN ACCOUNT OF CYPRUS ................................................................................................................................. 52 3.3. TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN CYPRUS ................................................................................................................... 54 3.4. TOURISM PRODUCT ........................................................................................................................................ 59 3.5. TOURISM POLICY AND ORGANISATION IN CYPRUS .................................................................................................. 62 3.6. SEASONALITY ................................................................................................................................................. 65 3.7. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................. 69 4. RESEARCH DESIGN .................................................................................................................................... 71 4.1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 71 4.2. RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................ 72 4.3. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................. 72 4.3.1. Research philosophy .......................................................................................................................... 73 4.3.2. Research approach............................................................................................................................. 75 4.3.3. Research philosophy approach .......................................................................................................... 78 4.3.4. Research strategy............................................................................................................................... 79 4.4. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION ........................................................................................................................ 80 4.4.1. Secondary data review ....................................................................................................................... 81

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4.4.2. Primary data review ........................................................................................................................... 82 4.5. SAMPLING DESIGN .......................................................................................................................................... 85 4.5.1. Sampling technique and sample size ................................................................................................. 86 4.5.2. Profile of respondents ........................................................................................................................ 87 4.5.3. Rationale for the interview questions design .................................................................................... 90 4.5.4. Ethics .................................................................................................................................................. 98 4.6. ANALYSIS OF DATA ........................................................................................................................................ 100 4.6.1. Analysis process ............................................................................................................................... 100 4.6.2. Validity and reliability of data .......................................................................................................... 108 4.6.3. Reflexivity ......................................................................................................................................... 114 4.7. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 116 5. RESEARCH FINDINGS & ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................... 118 5.1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 118 5.2. AXIAL CODING - PREPOSITIONS INDUCED FROM PRIMARY DATA ANALYSIS ................................................................ 120 5.2.1. Insufficient internal communication, coordination and cooperation between the public and private sector can be detrimental to the successful development of winter tourism ................................ 120 5.2.2. Insufficient awareness among the public/private sector and the local communities as a detrimental factor to the product diversification .......................................................................................................... 125 5.2.3. Dependencies of the industry on tour operators and air travel companies are detrimental in addressing seasonality ............................................................................................................................... 129 5.2.4. SIT and alternative forms of tourism development as a factor in tackling seasonality ................... 134 5.2.5. The image of Cyprus as a sun-and-sea destination is perceived as a hindrance in the diversification process ....................................................................................................................................................... 139 5.2.6. Impacts of tourism as a result of seasonality ................................................................................... 143 5.2.7. SIP as a factor for choosing Cyprus as a winter destination ............................................................ 150 5.2.8. Push and pull factors and their role in the holiday decision-making process .................................. 154 5.3. SELECTIVE CODING- STORY LINE: THEORY INDUCED FROM THE DATA ANALYSIS ......................................................... 159 6. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................... 162 6.1. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 162 6.2. RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................................................................... 171 7. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 177 8. APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................ 190 APPENDIX A- DIFFERENT FORMS AND STATES OF TOURISM ACTIVITY .............................................................................. 190 APPENDIX B- PSYCHOGRAPHIC PERSONALITY TYPES .................................................................................................... 191 APPENDIX C- UNITS AND BEDS IN OPERATION IN CYPRUS 2008 .................................................................................... 192 APPENDIX D - REVENUE FROM TOURISM, TOURIST ARRIVALS ANNUALLY AND AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY (2001- 2008) ......... 193 APPENDIX E - TOURIST ARRIVALS BY MONTH FOR 2006-2008 ..................................................................................... 194 APPENDIX F ARRIVALS BY COUNTRY OF USUAL RESIDENCE ......................................................................................... 195 APPENDIX G LOCATION OF STAY .......................................................................................................................... 196 APPENDIX H- CTOS ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE.................................................................................................... 197 APPENDIX I 1 AN EXAMPLE OF A CODED INTERVIEW (PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPANT)...................................................... 198 APPENDIX I 2 CODES AND CONCEPTS INDUCED FROM THE DATA ................................................................................. 211 APPENDIX I 3 CATEGORIES INDUCED FROM THE DATA ............................................................................................... 226

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Map of the Mediterranean Region ......................................................................................... 12 Figure 2 Model of change in the pattern of tourism development ...................................................... 25 Figure 3 Demand and supply elements of tourism seasonality ............................................................ 38 Figure 4 Map of Cyprus ......................................................................................................................... 51

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Example of a coded interview ................................................................................................ 102 Table 2 Axial Coding ............................................................................................................................ 105

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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Statement of the problem

Developed mature mass sun-and-sea Mediterranean islands are facing a number of challenges, due to the dynamic and complex environment of tourism, especially due to the increased competition from the ever growing number of new destinations. One such challenge is the extreme seasonality that most mass mature destinations are facing, due to their highly seasonal product of sun-and-sea as well as their could be anywhere sun-and-sea image that is highly substitutable (Sastre and Benito 2001; Ioannides 2002 p.80). Seasonality has been attributed a number of economical, sociocultural and environmental problems, such as the low profitability during the off-peak season, seasonal employment and the overstretching of natural and built resources of the islands (Koening-Lewis and Bischoff 2005; Andriotis 2005; Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida 2008). Cyprus is a developed mature mass sun-and-sea destination that is characterized by this one-peak seasonality form, and thus, faces many sociocultural, environmental and economic problems. Scholars have identified that these sun-and-sea destinations need to restructure in order to impede or prevent their imminent decline (Meethan 1998 cited in ClaverCrtes et al. 2007). Additionally, it is vital that these destinations diversify their products in order to lengthen their tourism season (Garau-Vadell and de Borja-Sole 2008). Therefore, this study focuses on Cyprus as a destination, and explores the extent that Cyprus can develop its winter tourism, in order to address seasonality.

1.2.

Literature overview

The literature employed to support this research project is presented in two chapters and it is examined in the context of developed mass mature island destinations in the Mediterranean region. The first chapter examines the tourism development of Mediterranean islands and their challenges and opportunities. In addition, it discusses theories on coastal tourism development and tourism product development. Furthermore, literature on tourist behaviour is analysed, with a special focus on the consumption trends and motivational factors. Consecutively, the second chapter introduces Cyprus, the case study that will be employed to undertake this research project. A general account of the country is presented and tourism related issues of the island are examined.
1.2.1. Theoretical framework

The theoretical framework employed to support the argument and the final theory will be presented below. Since, the 1950s the Mediterranean islands have used tourism as a driver for economic development, and many islands became established mass mature sun-and-sea destinations. However, this mass tourism model is based on the Fordist model of tourism of production and consumption (Bramwell 2004). New trends in production and consumption have revealed a shift from the Fordist model to the post-Fordist model (Aguilo et al. 2005). The post-Fordist model of tourism favours or expresses market fragmentation, diversification of consumer tastes and quality aspects (Loukissas and Skayiannis 2001 p.241). More specifically, tourists are now seeking for more specialised products, diversity in forms of tourism, high quality standards, and forms of tourism closer to the environment. Thus, the new tourism concept has been
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created to convey the meaning of the post-Fordist model. The new tourist is more experienced, environmentally aware, more volatile, highly diverse demanding a variety of products, as well as flexibility and independence (Aguilo et al. 2005; Ashworth and Tunbridge 2005). However, the dependency on the highly seasonal one-dimensional tourism product and the mass tourism production model has left these island destinations with a small tourism season and an unsustainable product (Sastre and Benito 2001; Ioannides et al. 2001). Furthermore, this has resulted in many environmental, economical and sociocultural problems, thus, most Mediterranean islands are demonstrating characteristics of reaching the consolidation or even stagnation stage in their lifecycle as destinations (Ioannides 2002). Therefore, addressing seasonality is vital for the success and sustainability of the destination. In order to develop winter tourism, the islands need to focus on diversifying their tourism product and attracting specific segments. Special interest tourism (SIT) and alternative tourism have been identified as vital in overcoming the current challenges as they promote the feel of the area and place value on the local uniqueness (Bramwell 2004). Also, the diversity of these forms of tourism has been identified as key in tackling seasonality (Garau-Vadell and de Borja-Sole 2008). Since, tourists seeking the products of SIT and alternative tourism are driven by their interest to take part in a certain activity, at a specific destination, and particular time of the year (Read 1980 cited in McKercher and Chan 2005). These special motives induce travel (Spilannis and Vayiannis 2004). The decision on choosing a destination can be explained through the push and pull model of Crompton (1979). Push factors are the forces that push a

tourist away from home and attempt to stimulate the desire to go somewhere else but without specifying where that may be (Lam and Hsu 2004). In contrast, pull factors pulls a tourist towards the destination, due to the specific attributes or perceived attractiveness of the destination (Lam and Hsu 2004). The development of these special interest activities will increase the motivational factors towards the destination, given that the special interest activity is the hub around which the complete trip is arranged and develop (Read 1980 cited in McKercher and Chan 2005). Increasing flexibility through demand-led product diversification and niche marketing either through the destinations management organisation or tour operators, can assist in tackling seasonality (Fernando and Rebollo 2004 p. 57; Bramwell 2004). As, the special interest motivation will stimulate travel.

1.3.

Research area

The research was carried out in Cyprus, a developed island-state in the Mediterranean. In 1974, the Turkish invasion resulted in a de facto division of the island, between the Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots. The Greek-Cypriot part of the island is the only internationally recognised authority, as the division was a result of an invasion. The Greek-Cypriots control the southern two-thirds of the island. This research focuses on the southern part of Cyprus. Cyprus is essentially a mature mass sun-and-sea destination, with a pool of history dating back to around 8 200 BC as well as rich cultural heritage. The research is based on the coastal areas of Cyprus, namely, Ayia Napa, Limassol, Paphos and Larnaka, where they receive most of the international arrivals.

1.4.

Originality of the research

Seasonality in tourism is a vast, multifaceted study area that has received a considerable amount of attention (Koenig-Lewis and Bischoff 2005). However, upon reviewing literature regarding the phenomena, it was apparent to the researcher, that limited research was undertaken focusing on Cyprus as a destination and the seasonality it is experiencing. Sharley (2001; 2002) and Ayres (2000) briefly mention the challenges that Cyprus is experiencing, with limited information on how they should approach the subject. To the knowledge of the researcher, there is no study available which concentrates exclusively on contributing in efforts to mitigate the seasonality that Cyprus is experiencing, by providing practical advice.

Additionally, only a few studies offer the necessary information to tourism marketers to successfully increase the tourism flow during the low season, based on special interest products (Spencer and Holecek 2007). Moreover, to the knowledge of the researcher no exploratory study was undertaken in Cyprus, which pursues to identify the special interest activities that the holidaymaker would seek in Cyprus over the winter season.

1.5.

Findings overview

The findings indicate that Cyprus as a holiday destination could diminish seasonality, as it has the essential geographical characteristics to diversify its product and develop its winter season. However, the dependency of the tourism industry on the small number of tour operators and air travel companies precludes the destination to extend its tourism season. As, tour operators and air travel companies discontinue most of their flights during the winter season. Additionally, the reliance on the
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narrow highly seasonal sun-and-sea product has created a seasonal image that is a barrier to the diversification process. Furthermore, government rigidity, extensive bureaucracy and insufficient coordination within the public sector prevent the development of the product required for diminishing seasonality. Lastly, misinterpretation of tourism practice from the public sector, as well as inadequate cooperation, communication and coordination among industry stakeholders precludes the development of the product needed in addressing the new tourists demands and mitigating seasonality.

1.6.

Research aim and objectives

1.6.1. Research aim

The aim of this research is: To investigate the extent that Cyprus can become a winter holiday destination in order to address the problem of seasonality.
1.6.2. Research objectives

Three objectives address this aim: To identify the holidaymakers motivational factors for holidaying in Cyprus; To explore the extent that policy-makers are pursuing the repositioning of Cyprus from a summer to a winter destination; To discover if the product is there to enable the repositioning process;

1.7.

Research approach and methods

The research has an exploratory purpose, as, the aim was to gain new insights and pose questions to assess the phenomena under a new light (Saunders et al. 2009). Thus, an exploratory research aided in exploring and acquiring new insights on the perceptions of policy-makers and regarding the tourism industry and new insights on the motivational factors of holidaymakers in Cyprus. The research employed a qualitative interpretive inductive approach as it encompasses a more subjective nature and allowed the researcher to examine and reflect on perceptions (Collis and Hussey 2003). Moreover, it assisted the researcher to explore the phenomena

through interpreting the behaviour of social actors from their view point and develop a theoretical framework. Additionally, since, the project is a case study on Cyprus, this approach allowed the researcher to focus on the intense examination of the phenomena in a single setting and reveal and clarify the unique features that Cyprus has. Accordingly, semistructured interviews, a qualitative data collection tool were employed to collect the rich data needed. Interviews were conducted with eight industry respondents, six public sector respondents and two private sector respondents. In addition, interviews from ten holiday-makers in Cyprus were conducted. Grounded theory was employed as the data analysis procedure, since, there was no specific predetermined theoretical framework, and the aim was to clarify and generate a theory based on themes derived from the data. (See chapter 4 for more information on the research design).

1.8.

Contribution to knowledge

The research contributes to the study area of seasonality in mature mass sun-andsea island destinations. As it provides practical recommendations on what needs to
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be taken into consideration to mitigate seasonality, both from the demand and supply side. In addition, the study further examines the motivations of the low season tourist for sun-and-sea island destinations and contributes on understanding seasonal differences regarding tourists. As Spencer and Holecek (2007) identified, only a small number of researches exist that provide the information needed to marketers to increase tourist arrivals during the low season. Thus, the research offers information on the different special interest products (and alternative products) that the low season tourist would seek in a sun-and-sea destination. Therefore, proposes specific segments that a mature sun-and-sea destination could target during the low season, hence, aiding in tackling seasonality.

1.9.

Structure of the thesis

The first chapter is based on peer reviewed journal articles as well as other published work regarding coastal tourism development in mature sun-and-sea island destinations, particularly in the Mediterranean region. The chapter focuses on literature on coastal tourism development, examining the current challenges and opportunities, along with the sustainability of the existing tourism development in the Mediterranean islands. In addition, literature on tourism product is examined, more specifically concentrating on the new forms of tourism. Furthermore, the first chapter discusses the behaviour of tourists when holidaying abroad, with a focal point their motivational factors as well as new trends of consumption in the tourism market. The second chapter introduces the case study that the research uses, Cyprus, a mature mass sun-and-sea destination. The chapter firstly provides a general account of the island-state, presenting an overview of the history, politics and economy of Cyprus. This is followed by a discussion on the tourism development of the island,
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examining the challenges and opportunities of the tourism industry in Cyprus. Consecutively, an examination of the tourism product, tourism policy and organisation in Cyprus is presented. Lastly, seasonality is discussed, focusing on the causes and the impact that it has on Cyprus. The third chapter presents the research design used for the completion of this project. This chapter discusses the methodological approach employed for the collection and analysis of the data. In particular, it discusses the research philosophy, approach and the strategy and the adoption of a qualitative, inductive research approach is justified. Furthermore, the chapter introduces the methods for data collection used and the rationale behind the interviews questions design. This is followed by a discussion on grounded theory, as the procedure adopted for the analysis of the rich qualitative data collected. Lastly, an investigation of the reliability and validity of the data is presented. The fourth chapter presents the findings of the analysis and discusses the categories and in turn the prepositions that derived from open and axial coding. In this chapter, new literature is introduced, in addition to the literature already reviewed in chapter 2, in order to better support the findings as well as examine the issues that resulted from the analysis more effectively. Additionally, the theory (storyline) that emerged from selective coding is presented as the final part of this chapter. The fifth and concluding chapter of the thesis discusses the central findings of the research. Furthermore, recommendations are proposed on how Cyprus can tackle the issues discovered from the analysis process, in order to address seasonality.

Moreover, the limitation of the study is presented along with proposals for future research.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Introduction
Tourism, as one of the earliest commercial activity, has become the worlds largest industry, exceeding both oil and weapons global sales (Ioannides and Gayle 2002 p.5). A tremendous amount of tourists are travelling the world (Goeldner and Ritchie 2009). The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) reported 922 million international tourists in 2008 that generated 642 billion euro (WTO 2009). The increase in the range of cruises, tour packages, exploration experiences and independent schedule, has increased the appeal of travelling to the consumers (Goeldner and Ritchie 2009). All of this tourism related activity has resulted in economic, social, environmental and cultural issues that cannot be overlooked (Goeldner and Ritchie 2009). It is crucial that attention is paid to all environmental, economic and sociocultural issues as well as the way the surroundings are constructed to attract tourists, in order to create a sustainable1 tourist product (Goeldner and Ritchie 2009). Tourism is believed to be a successful medium for development, in general, and more specifically in islands (Sharpley 2004). This is due to the physical and climatic attributes of islands, along with the intangible features of island-ness, insularity, distance and tradition, which form a particular charm to an increasing amount of tourists (Sharpley 2001 p.65) Since the 1950s the southern regions of the Mediterranean basin, exploiting their proximity to northern Europe became one of the worlds main tourist

Sustainability will be discussed in more detail in Section 2.2.

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destinations (Ioannides et al. 2001; Apostolopoulos et al. 2001). This region has been described as the pleasure periphery of Europe (McElroy 2003 p.231). The insular of Mediterranean boasts thousands of islands (See Figure 1). Two of the islands are microstates, Cyprus and Malta, whereas, the rest are controlled by their respective neighbouring mainland countries. For instance Greeces Aegean and Ionian Islands and Spains Balearic Islands. The islands are of different sizes, some relatively large, in excess of 8,000 square kilometres, such as Cyprus and Crete, while some are no more than a rocky outcrop with a few or no resources for human
Figure 1 Map of the Mediterranean Region

Source: University of Colorado at Boulder (2008).

habitation (Ioannides 2002 p.68). Hence, the populations of the islands vary enormously, where some islands only have a few thousand people, for example Symi, Greece, to 5 million, for example Sicily, Italy (Ioannides 2002).

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The region has seen a tremendous growth since the late 1950s, as post-war affluence and increased leisure time, resulted in prominence in developed regions, as well as sufficient decrease of the cost of travel (Apostolopoulos and Gayle 2002). Additionally, the advent of the jet aircraft and the confluence of airlines, tour operators, travel agents and hotel groups, in association with the governments, have created a large global network of holiday opportunities (Apostolopoulos and Gayle 2002). This development enhanced the accessibility to secluded island regions around the world. Holidays abroad became affordable to a larger segment of the market (Ioannides 2002). In addition, the vast growth of the tour-operating industry and the popularity of the mass market packaged holiday, in countries such as Britain and Germany, has transformed the previously undisturbed and distant islands to popular mass-tourist resorts (Ioannides 2002 p.67). It is not surprising that the Mediterranean islands are appealing to tourists as their physical separation from the mainland creates distinctive characteristics (Ioannides 2002). Butler (1993 cited in Ioannides 2002 p.68) identified that islands are appealing for a number of reasons ranging from the desire to visit a destination which an individual can get to know within the few days that he/she is there as tourist, to the belief that small is probably going to be more authentic, less built up or commercial than large. King (1993 cited in Andriotis 2004 p.116) states that: an island is the most enticing form of land. A symbol of the eternal contest between land and water, islands are detached, self-contained entities whose boundaries are obvious; and all other land divisions are more or less arbitrary. In other words, islands are particularly appealing due to the feelings that they create to people, the feeling of separateness, the different way of life that cannot be replicated on the mainland and the rather large stretches of coast in relation to their
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land mass, making them unlike the mainland. The isolation that people feel on the islands, of being cut off from the mainland is a significant physical and psychological quality for a successful holiday (Baum 1997 cited in Andrtiotis 2004 p.116). Four main characteristics have been identified for the explosive growth of the Mediterranean, these are: (a) the diversity and the wealth of the historical, cultural, natural and scenic heritage (b) the favoured climate and coastline (c) the cultural and physical proximity to the European market and (d) the fact that is labelled as a traditional tourist destination (UNEP 2005). However, the dominance of mass tourism with its many conflicting environmental, economic, cultural and social dimensions have endangered the resources that made these destinations attractive in the first place (Fernando and Rebollo 2001 p. 47). Numerous threats are identified for the economic strengths of islands, consisting of old infrastructure, the degeneration of the environment, changes in tourists expectations, the stereotypical image based on the sun, coast and landscapes, as well as the increasing competition from an ever-growing number of holiday destinations (Bramwell 2004; Fernando and Rebollo 2001). These threats, in conjunction with the increasing affluence of consumers as well as the simplicity of travelling nowadays, has resulted in these mass mature destinations (such as Mallorca, Crete, Malta and Cyprus) facing intense competition from new places around the world. Accordingly, focusing on the Mediterranean region, the aim of this chapter will be to examine from a theoretical perspective, the challenges that these mature and economically developed holiday destinations are currently facing. Hence,

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identifying what destinations must achieve in order to improve their competitive position. To facilitate the process literature from coastal tourism development, tourism product and tourist consumer behaviour will be examined.

2.2. Coastal tourism development

Before discussing coastal tourism development it is important to distinguish the conceptual meaning of the word tourism. Many researchers agree that tourism is complex to define and model as it encompasses an array of products and services that are consumed at different points in time and space (McElroy and deAlbuquerque 2002 p.21; Goeldner and Ritchie 2009; Holloway 2006). However, Goeldner and Ritchie (2009 p.6) state a simple definition, tourism is a composite of activities, services, and industries that deliver a travel experience. Therefore, Hall (2001 p.602) defines the concept of coastal tourism as: embracing the full range of tourism, leisure, and recreationally oriented activities that take place in the coastal zone and the offshore coastal waters. Particularly coastal tourism entails the tourism development, such as accommodation, restaurants and second homes, the related infrastructure that reinforces the tourism development, such as marinas, retail shops and activity providers. Additionally, it encompasses tourism activities such as swimming, diving, fishing, coast and marine based ecotourism and cruises (Hall 2001). As mentioned earlier the Mediterranean islands saw a vast growth in international arrivals in the 50s. However; it is important to quickly mention the agents that contributed to this rapid mass tourism development as to obtain a clearer picture on the tourism development in the Mediterranean region. Between the 1960s and 1970s, after World War II, the Western Europe and North America population

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was characterised by affluence that led to a growth in their disposable income (Ioannides 2002). Furthermore, with the arrival of the jet aircraft, holidays abroad were financially and physically possible. The necessity of air travel and the increase popularity of packaged holidays have resulted in tour operators controlling most of the charter flights, hence, playing a crucial role in the development (Bramwell 2004). For instance, 80% of tourists visiting Malta arrive on a packaged holiday through tour operators (Bramwell 2004). Lastly, government policy had a significant role in this tremendous growth, as tourism was considered a vehicle for economic development and prompt modernisation due to the attraction of foreign exchange (Ioannides 2001). For example, after Maltas independence in the 1960s, government planning and development were the key forces in the industrys growth, and tourism as a crucial strategy in the countrys development plans (Ioannides 2002). These agents still influence the development of different destinations, as tourism is a fundamental driving force for the economic development of the nation as a whole. Hence, altering the tourism model is not an easy or a rapid process. All agents are responsible for the current mass tourism that the islands are experiencing and these forces should be taken into account in order to improve their competitive position. Coastal tourism is one of the oldest forms of tourism (European Commission 2000 p.9). Coastal areas have always been appealing to people

(Andriotis 2006). In 2001 the European Union stated that more than half of Unions population lives within 50km of the sea (Andriotis 2006 p.630). The core product of the coastal areas is the 4Ss (sun, sea, sand and sex) (Andriotis 2006). The blend of these four products is still attractive to the biggest segment of the market, including tourists that are motivated by passive recreation (e.g. lying on a deck chair and
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watching the sea) or a more active pastime (e.g. swimming and water sports) (Holloway 2006 p.189). In other words, coastal areas can offer a variety of activities that can fulfil the desires of most tourists on holidays. This attraction towards the sea, due to the leisure resources that it offers (such as beautiful beaches, mild climate, warm clean waters, long hours of sunshine and so on), has resulted to the majority of the tourism development being clustered along the coastal belt (Sasidharan and Thapa 2002). Andriotis (2006) observes that tourist activities dominate the coastal zone, for instance in Mauritius most of the tourist development is located alongside the coast. However, due to their unpredicted rapid tourism growth it led to a disorderly, unplanned, and problematic development in several coastal areas (Sasidharan and Thapa 2002). The rapid growth of tourism, along with the individualistic nature of entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean islands has led to a fragmented tourism sector, which had as a consequence the limited implementation of land-use and environmental policies (Ioannides 2002). Hence, the excessive building of superstructures, along with the concentration of extreme urbanization in many destinations resulted in degrading their image (Ioannides 2002). In addition, the coastal development influences the highly dynamic nature of the coastal environment which could have significant environmental impact in the long term (Hall 2001 p. 602). Due to all the activities that take place at coastal areas, such as snorkelling, fishing, the environment has been left vulnerable. All coastal and ocean areas influence coastal tourism and recreation, hence offering a pleasurable and clean environment will be beneficial for tourism. Furthermore, Andriotis (2004) in a study of the Greek insular region identified that the unplanned tourism development resulted in severe environmental issues. For example, the development
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in Lesbos, Greece, has resulted in traffic congestion and pollution of the water and soil, whereas in Zakynthos, Greece, the development along the coast has created a severe threat on the endangered turtle caretta caretta (Andriotis 2004). Moreover, Sasidharan and Thapa (2002 p. 94) argue that this uncontrolled myopic vision of tourism development has destroyed the islands physical environments as well as their traditional cultures. International tourism, unavoidably results to contact among people from different cultures, with different beliefs, values and behaviour (Ayres 2002). It is inevitable that constant first-hand intercultural contact, i.e. between locals and tourists, will affect and change the host community; this is referred to as acculturation (Berno and Ward 2005). However, there are no general conclusions on the impact of tourism on island cultures, as all cultures are influenced and developed through a constant process of adaptation (Ayres 2002). For instance, in the Greek islands, young men and teenagers alter their traditional habits and imitate the lifestyle of international tourists, on the other hand tourism development has stopped emigration and locals returning back are dynamical involved in the tourism industry (Andriotis 2004). The continuous economic, sociocultural and environmental challenges, presented above, that most Mediterranean islands face, demonstrate that they have reached the consolidation or even stagnation phase of their lifecycle (Ioannides 2002). Andriotis (2006) warns that if tourism development does not progress within the sustainability model, i.e. the smooth integration of economy, society and environment, then the attractiveness of the islands will be lost. A number of researchers argue that sustainability is essential for destination success (for example see Buhalis and Diamantis 2001; Hall 2006).

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2.2.1. Sustainable Coastal Development

Sustainability has been a key word, since the end of 1980s in the tourism literature (Liu 2008). Sustainable development created many debates on whether resorts - and in particular islands, had the ability to implement sustainable processes (Buhalis and Diamantis 2000). McElroy and Alburqueque (2002 cited in Lim and Cooper 2008 p.90) define sustainability in relation to island tourism: sustainability ideally seeks to preserve a permanent and widely shared stream of income by creating an adaptive competitive destination niche market through ongoing guidance of participatory community planning without unacceptably sacrificing the socio-cultural and natural integrity of the asset base. In simpler terms, Farrell (1999 cited in Liu 2003) identified the sustainability trinity with the aims to combine efficiently and transparently the economy, environment and society. In other words, tourism development should be thought as the concurrence of economic, environmental and social benefits. However, it should be noted that there is no consensus definition of sustainability in tourism (Lim and Cooper 2008; Butler and Stiakaki 2001; Ioannides et al. 2001). Lim and Cooper (2008) after an extensive literature review on sustainable tourism concluded that the existing definitions are vague, obscure, sectoral and confused with environmental elements. Butler and Stiakaki (2001) argue that while numerous current developments have been labelled as sustainable, in fact such an allegation is not realistic as it cannot be substantiated. They elaborate by claiming that since the requirements of the present generations have not been yet defined or measured in relation to tourism, it is hard to define the needs of future generations in a specific area. Although, academics have not reached a consensus

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definition yet, for the sake of simplicity the definition by McElroy and Alburqueque (2002) stated above, will be employed for this research project. Sustainability for islands is directly related to community participation, carrying capacity, local political climate and special interest activities (Lim and Cooper 2008). This is due to the distinctive qualities of islands -vulnerability, isolation and peripherality- (Lim and Cooper 2008 p.91). However, Loukissas (1982 cited in Andriotis 2004) found that bigger Greek islands are more diversified in accommodations and more likely to reduce their vulnerability to external elements, as they are more likely to have more and richer tourism resources. Despite the uniqueness of the islands, tourism-development experts have defended community-based alternative types of tourism as a feasible economic strategy for sustainability (Sasidharan and Thapa 2002). In other words, to promote the involvement and participation of the host community in the planning and policy making regarding resource management, to be exact the existence of a multilevel strategy, among locals, planners, developers and policy-makers. For instance, in Mykonos, Greece, the government has tried to incorporate the traditional and community-based coastal resource management techniques to the modern multiagency tourism management plans, whilst finding sustainable methods of using their coastal and marine resources (Sasidharan and Thapa 2002). Still, the mass tourism model that has been adopted by many islands is very different from the concept of sustainability (Ioannides et al. 2001). Owing, to the ambiguity of the conceptual basis of sustainable development, as mentioned earlier, island destinations have had difficulties in adopting the concept of sustainability. Moreover, Hinrichsen (1998 cited in Sasidharan and Thapa 2002) asserts that the

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failure of sustainable-development plans derives from the lack of knowledge and misinterpretation of the destination in relation to the concept. Nevertheless, Sadler (2004) argues that the inimitable characteristics of islands can be key elements for both alternative and mass tourism. This notion will be discussed in the next section.

2.3. Conventional mass tourism versus new forms of tourism

Spilanis and Vayianni (2004) argue that forms of tourism can be categorized as conventional tourism and new forms of tourism (NFT) (See Appendix A). Conventional tourism describes the significance of the market, the pricing of resources used as inputs, and a lack of regard for the environment and of various externalities (Spilanis and Vayianni 2004 p. 272). In other words, conventional tourism emphasizes the importance of the market, the influence that it has on the prices of the destination resources and the disregard of the impact on the environment, society and culture. They defend this terminology by arguing, that mass tourism specifies the manner that the activity is coordinated (mass, standardized, low cost and controlled by tour operators) and it cannot be classified as a type of tourism or a theoretical approach. Burkart and Medlik (1974 cited in Bramwell 2004 p.7) consent this notion by stating that: mass tourism is essentially a quantitative notion, based on the proportion of the population participating in tourism or on the volume of tourist activity . More specifically, mass tourism is a measurable concept with its conceptual underpinnings on the amount of people participating in tourism or the degree of the tourist activity. Conventional tourism embodies sun, sea and sand (sex) 3Ss or (4 Ss) and mountain (winter) tourism (Spilanis and Vayianni 2004).

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NFT are classified as alternative forms of tourism (such as ecotourism, agrotourism, nature etc.) and special interest tourism (SIT) (such as conferences, maritime, sport etc.) (Spilanis and Vayianni 2004). It has to be noted that there is a lack of a clarified and consensus definition or concept for this ideal forms of tourism to substitute the conventional mass tourism (Higgins-Desbiolles 2008; Liu 2003; Loukissas and Skayiannis 2001). This is mostly due to the ambiguous definition for sustainable tourism. A number of researchers have labelled the substitute of conventional mass tourism as soft tourism, alternative tourism, low-impact tourism, special interest tourism, sustainable tourism, to mention a few, hence the definition is highly contentious (Higgins-Desbiolles 2008 p.346). Therefore, to avoid confusion, the typologies from Spilanis and Vayianni (2004) will be used. Alternative tourism refers to the way the travel is organised (relative autonomy) and to the tourists willingness to learn about the host area and to consume environmentally friendly products (Spilanis and Vayianni 2004 p. 272). Whereas SIT forms are defined by the particular motives that stimulate travelling (Spilanis and Vayianni 2004 p.272). Conventional mass tourism is not thought to be as sustainable as NFT (Bramwell 2004). This is due to the problems that have been associated with mass tourism (Spilanis and Vayianni 2004). Tsartas (2004) states that regions that have adopted this conventional mass tourism model will reduce the quality of their natural and human made environment and thus, endanger the economic dimension of tourist growth. This mass model has been linked to a variety of problems such as the need for large superstructures, changing the lifestyle of the local communities; and due to the reliance on tour operators, there is lack of flexibility and seasonality is created (Loukissas and Skayiannis 2001).
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The reliance on tour operators for tourist arrivals, has allowed them to control the tourist flows of the destination, and have the upper hand on any negotiations on prices with related tourist businesses, especially hotels (Ioannides 2002). The seasonality that is created is related to seasonal unemployment, as people are employed based on the fluctuations of tourist flows (Bramwell 2004). Furthermore, many environmental problems have been identified such as sewage spills, water shortages, e.g. in Malta, and threats to the local flora and fauna, e.g. in Zakynthos where the nesting place of logger-head turtles is put at risk due to tourist activity (Ioannides 2002). Additionally, there is a possibility that the large infrastructures are harmful to the environment, at least from the aesthetics of the area, however, this depends on the architecture and the aesthetics of the designers (Loukisas and Skayiannis 2001). Moreover, sociocultural issues have been linked to conventional mass tourism, for instance Andriotis (2004) identified that on some Greek islands, tourism has resulted in depopulation of the villages and the movement of the locals to large coastal towns. In contrast, NFT is more able to apply to the principles of sustainability, and in many situations is the preferred choice (Bramwell 2004). For instance, in a study researching the development gap in Crete, Andriotis (2006) argues that NFT can aid in bridging the development gap in islands between the coastal and inland areas and offer economic opportunities, such as profit from selling traditional craft or the local produce. However, Bramwell (2004) notes that NFT can be as much destructive as mass tourism. As Spilanis and Vayianni (2004 p. 272) assert it is a matter of question. For instance, mass tourism decreases the risk, offers a steady income and

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provides security to the local entrepreneur; additionally it offers the consumer prearranged benefits (Loukissas and Skayiannis 2001). This is due to the involvement of tour operators that provide a steady tourist flow to the destination. Whereas, NFT, which are spread in areas that are less developed, can inadvertently affect unspoiled ecosystems as well as cause sociocultural strain as locals in less remote areas are not used to tourists (Bramwell 2004). For instance, Malta is promoting a year-round cultural tourism, however, this causes problems to the locals as a large amount of tourists visit the villages and towns where most locals live, more specifically in the historical city of Medina locals feel isolated due to the overcommercialisation and loss of serenity, resulting in the loss of privacy (Bramwell 2004). Additionally, in Cyprus, safaris in the inland area are organised by the tour operators in order to experience the traditional culture and the flora and fauna of Cyprus. In fact, they are usually a convoy of off-road cars that possibly develop more pollution than the conventional coach, in particular the Akamas peninsula, a sensitive ecosystem, has suffered permanent damage due to the popularity as an ecotourism destination (Ioannides and Holcomb 2001). The above cases show that it is regarded as utopian to deem that economically sustainable activities will be completely environmentally friendly (Spilanis and Vayianni 2004). Spilanis and Vayianni (2004) claim that any effort that contributes in decreasing environmental strain and preserving the environmental balance, whilst enhancing the economic and social state in the local area, can be thought as sustainable. They argue that the sustainability stages range from very weak sustainability (greening- attempts to lessen resource consumption and production of wastes) to very strong sustainability (altering the model of development and social behaviour). Figure 2 shows the three patterns of tourism development. The above
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situations are presented not to say that conventional mass tourism is more sustainable than NFT, but to remark that NFT can be as challenging as conventional mass tourism, as at times it creates severe environmental and social difficulties (Bramwell 2004).

Figure 2 Model of change in the pattern of tourism development

Green tourism High Sustainable tourism

Environmental Protection

Low Low

Conventional tourism Added Value (per capita) High

Economically Sustainable tourism

Source: Spilanis and Vayianni (2004 p.274)

Furthermore, it has been recommended that sustainability should be considered as an adaptive paradigm where resorts should adopt various magnitudes, types and locations of tourism development depending on their circumstances (Bramwell 2004 p.18).Nonetheless, Giavelli (2001 p.140) states that: debating whether new forms of tourism such as ecotourism are beneficial may be purely academic, since a variety of factors could eventually preclude economic alternatives for the islands. In other words, both forms of tourism have significant advantages and disadvantages and it is not straightforward to distinguish between the most sustainable tourism forms. As all forms can disguise complex and multifaceted issues, as it was presented

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above, as well as less encouraging economic benefits than it was assumed at the beginning for destinations.

2.4. The diversity of coastal tourism development

A characteristic of Mediterranean islands coastal tourism development can be perfectly described by one phrase planning is following development rather than preceding it (Peterson and Peterson 1990 cited in Andriotis 2003 p.69). Since, tourism started as an unplanned activity. This was due to the rapid growth of tourism and lack of regulations on environmental protection and zoning (Andriotis 2003). The above statement demonstrates this diversity of coastal development that exists on the islands. Tourism-related expansion usually develops in areas near a capital and urban centres (Andriotis 2006). This is due to the better accessibility that usual exists owing to the international airports, hence, coastal areas receive continuous investments in infrastructure (Andriotis 2006). However, the purpose of these resorts will determine their features. For instance, in Italy, the Rimini region is

overdeveloped, with mass tourism surroundings, whereas, the Sardinian Costa Smeralda is an exclusive carefully managed, low density development in traditional building styles (Bramwell 2004 p. 11). As the resorts are marketed to different segments of the market, thus, their needs and wants have to be met by the individual resorts. Papatheodorou (2002) demonstrated the diversification that different resorts have is based on their image and status. By categorizing the resorts into core (large resorts) and peripheral (smaller resorts), he established that a strong brand name, the built environment and the feel of sophistication makes a difference for core resorts.
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The built environment can derive from the traditional culture or, if not possible, develop marinas or thematic parks (Papatheodorou 2002). He continues by arguing that, by attracting well known high quality national chains and providing quality establishments in core resorts, the image of luxury can be improved. Relating to peripheral resorts Papatheodorou (2002) noted that their tourists do not link sophistication to the existence of well-known industry players; in the peripheral resorts industrial organisation is less important. Bramwell (2004) argues that resorts attract residential or other amenities that complement their tourism related facilities based on different criteria. Tourist resorts are usually developed near a capital or a big urban centre, offering great accessibility to the city as well as an appealing environment (Andriotis 2006; Bramwell 2004). Consequently, as the permanent population increased, a number of resorts have become multifunctional towns, which satisfy the needs of various population groups (Campillo-Besses et al. 2004 p.228). Another variation on the coastal areas is the blend of accommodation related to tourists (Bramwell 2004). The second-home trend or apartment blocks owned by residential tourists permeate long stretches of the coastal areas or are sometimes located on the exterior of major commercial holiday accommodation (Bramwell 2004 p.11). These second-homes or apartment blocks are used on a seasonal basis as well as being rented out to other tourists (Bramwell 2004). However, these type of developments are constantly increasing hence altering the nature of communities; for example in the coastal region of Andalucia (Barke and Towner 2004). Rebollo and Baidal (2004), in a study in Spain, researching sustainability on mature destinations, found that the fast increase in real estate development has intensified the significance of this sector to the local economy. However, they

27

continue to highlight that environmental impact has increased due to the higher use of water and electricity as well as increase in waste. Still, due to the high economic return from tax, it seems that it is thought as unavoidable costs, politically and socially (Rebollo and Biadal 2004 p.191). Additionally, a trend that has developed in relation to second-home is the international residential tourism (Leontidou and Marmaras 2001). Leontidou and Marmaras (2001 p.257), state that is a phenomenon evolving from domestic seasonal homes, and combines semi-permanent migration and second-home holding in a foreign country. They continue to argue that residential tourism is emerging as a significant facet of postmodern lifestyles in the EU (Leontidou and Marmaras 2001 p.258). This trend relates to the Mediterranean islands and to the climate of the area, resulting in an attractive proposition for residential tourism. However, the traditional tourism industry is not keen on such a trend due to the negative impact that it has on the hotel sector (Leontidou and Marmaras 2001). Despite this fact, residential tourism, whether permanent or seasonal, is being encouraged by the government of certain countries as they can lessen the impact of seasonality as well as enhance the economy of the area (Leontidou and Marmaras 2001). For instance, the Spanish government has passed legislation in order to assist pensioners to use their retirement money locally, whereas in Greece, the government has built tourist communities for diaspora Greeks in several islands, to assist them in opening small businesses (Leontidou and Marmaras 2001). Furthermore, in a study in Spain for retirement tourist migrants, Rodriguez (2001) determined that both retirees and their relatives are more likely to spend a longer period in the area than normal tourists, thus creating a variety of all year economic, social and cultural activities. For instance, they create employment

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opportunities from the provision of services, enhancing the housing market, or by the involvement in cultural events. Hence, international residential tourism can offer an opportunity to the islands to face seasonality as well as improve the economic and social aspects of the area.

2.5. Diversifying the tourism product

New trends are detected in the demand side of the international tourism market. Monfort Mir and Baidal (2001) have identified that tourists are now more experienced, they are taking more trips during the year, and they have observed an increase in independent travelling. Additionally, they have detected a change in tourist behaviour, with a rise in environmental demands, seeking of new recreational activities away from the traditional form and an increase in demand for active and cultural tourism. Furthermore, tourists now find authenticity more appealing (Monfort Mir and Baidal 2001). Moreover, there is an evident segmentation of traveller demand from another aspect; motivational, according to socioeconomic and demographic variables, geographic, psychographic or according to consumers behaviour (Monfort Mir and Baidal 2001 p. 30). In other words, due to the new trends identified, the modern tourist has to be segmented and targeted based on the factors presented above, as these will influence their decisions-making process in choosing a destination. Competition from exotic destinations such as Pacific Ocean or the Caribbean, as well as changes in international demand threatens tourism on Mediterranean islands that heavily depend on their undiversified could be anywhere sun, sea, sand image rendering them highly substitutable (Fernando and Rebollo 2001;
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Ioannides 2002 p.80). More specifically, in light of these new trends in the market, it is crucial for destinations to diversify their product, to create an identity, in order to stand out from the competition. Ultimately, destinations should aim for the tourist to choose the destination depending on the destinations unique factors, rather than convenience. The new trends of demand and the competitive market have pushed Mediterranean destinations to enhance the quality of their products on all types of tourism (conventional and new forms) (Loukissas and Skayiannis 2001). In other words, quality should be enhanced in conventional forms of tourism, (e.g. the 4Ss and winter tourism), as well as the new forms of tourism, such as the alternative forms of tourism (e.g. ecotourism, agrotourism, cultural etc.) and SIT (e.g. conferences, maritime, health/spa). Quality should be augmented not only for tourist accommodation but also the environment. Furthermore, the new trends of demand have driven Mediterranean destinations to diversify their products in order to fulfil the demands that the new tourist has, when choosing a destination (Monfort Mir and Baidal 2001). The overdeveloped 4Ss product that the Mediterranean offers does not satisfy the needs of the consumer, as tourists are now drawn more to the less crowded, untouched and exotic new destinations, such as Turkey, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, the Indian and Pacific Oceans (Ioannides 2002). The dissatisfaction is directly linked with the environmental issues that the islands have (Ioannides 2002). For instance, Aguilo et al. (2005) identified that German tourists visiting the Balearics were very judgemental of the urban and environmental locale, as they were not satisfied due to the overdevelopment and crowding of the area. The overdevelopment along the coastline of tourist infrastructure is characterised by
30

architectural pollution and has degraded their image (Ioannides 2002 p.80). However, due to the individualistic entrepreneurial spirit, the tourism sector is extremely disjointed and thus difficult to apply policies for sustainability (Ioannides 2002). Fernando and Rebollo (2001) argue that these mature destinations should enhance the quality of their current conventional mass tourist product - bearing in mind their environmental and social carrying capacities - whilst seeking new processes to explore NFT. Increased competition for visitors with low expenditure has resulted in low profit, therefore, increasing the challenge of upgrading their product (Bramwell 2004). Thus, experts believe that the NFT are crucial, as they need to attract high-spending tourists who would pay for alternative and special interest products (Bramwell 2004). Conversely, Ioannides et al. (2001) contend that the outcomes of this approach are questionable, as although some destinations were able to apply sustainable development at a certain extent, other destinations were not. They continue, that the implementation by government and industry alike of the labels sustainable development and quality tourism are nothing but rhetoric (Ioannides et al. 2001 p. 12). In particular, the misinterpretation of sustainable tourism has prevented the destinations in employing sustainable practices successfully; hence, although the labels are employed they do not hold any real value. Nevertheless, NFT have been identified as the key in overcoming the current challenges, due to the fact that they promote the feel of the place and an appreciation of the local uniqueness (Bramwell 2004). Additionally, they offer an economic rationalization for preserving environments and traditional buildings and

31

strengthening the traditional way of life (Bramwell 2004 p. 18). In addition, NFT can enhance the environmental quality of conventional mass tourism, via improving the resort and the greening of tourist amenities (Bramwell 2004). On the other hand, Calvia (Balearics) presents a different approach in restructuring resorts; it adapted the sun-and-sand mass tourism model within the concept of sustainable development (Aguilo et al. 2005). Aguilo et al. (2005) argue that policy-makers should not only focus on the quality of hotel facilities but the benchmark should be on a broader model of sustainable development. They supported their argument by evaluating the prices of holiday packages on an area where sustainability policies were introduced, they identified that not only the environmental policies prevented from additional disintegration but also assisted in the appreciation of the resort. Aguilo et al. (2005) believe that the economic advantages and the prevention of further environmental impact can be complimentary goals. However, Fernando and Rebollo (2001) maintain that the new patterns in international demand indicate a change towards more personalised forms of travel. They claim that destinations such as Balearics and the Greek islands should diversify their target markets, while searching for tactics to tackle seasonality and reliance on a narrow product.

2.6. The diversity of mass tourism and new forms of tourism

As mentioned in section 2.3, NFT are divided in two categories: alternative forms and special interest tourism (SIT) (Spilanis and Vayiannis 2004). Alternative forms include: agrotourism, ecotourism, cultural, trekking and nature. Whereas SIT includes: conference, business trips, maritime, religious, health/spa, educational, sport and adventure. Although, this categorization presents a clear picture of the
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types of tourism, it is very difficult to compare conventional mass and NFT due to the vast range of tourism forms that they embody (Bramwell 2004). The need to satisfy the current tourism demands and appeal to high spending tourists in the last decade has diversified the mass tourism product (Bramwell 2004). In order to target the business market at the Greek islands of Rhodes, Kos and Crete, luxury, large-scale conference centres were built near hotels (Spilannis and Vayiannis 2004). Still, Spilannis and Vayiannis (2004) argue that this type of development is quite similar with conventional mass tourism, due to the extensive infrastructure, small consumption of local produce and no ties with the local culture. Calvias local authorities in a bid to update their product they built a number of golf courses and other luxury infrastructure (Selwyn 2001). However, Bramwell (2004) argues that such facilities as golf courses and yachting marinas, can be equally problematic as golf courses need a large amount of water to be sustained, as well as creating issues of social exclusion. He highlights that they are usually associated with large luxury real estate development. On the other hand, the strategy for product diversification in Santorini, Samos and Lesvos (Greek islands) was successful as the conference centres, built on a small-scale, has aided in the tourism development (Spilanis and Vayianni 2004). The projects were based on the restoration of old traditional buildings assisting in keeping the local traditional architectural style (Spilanis and Vayianni 2004). As, this contributed to the preservation and reuse of the islands cultural heritage and urban environment. Sastre and Benito (2001) point out that the efforts to diversify the products on most Mediterranean islands are still directed towards mass tourists. For example, in order to diversify their product and introduce the tourists visiting the coastal areas of

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Pelion (Greece) day trips were organised with large tourist buses to visit four mountainous villages in that area in a bid to promote alternative tourism (Loukissas and Skayiannis 2001). One the other hand, NFT are also quite diverse. For instance, the promotion of cultural tourism in Malta has created pressure for the locals in the walled city of Mdina due to the large numbers of visitors that they receive (Salanniemi 2001). This example shows that cultural tourism may have more characteristics from conventional mass tourism rather than NFT, which are thought to be more sustainable. The influence of tourism is determined on a variety of issues, comprising the number of tourists, the type of the visitors encounter and who manages it, and it cannot be perceived that cultural tourism or any other type of tourism is always ethical, green and on a small-scale (Ayres 2002). For instance, Bramwell (2004) argues that cultural visitors and ecotourists might require luxury and specialised amenities, the comfort of high quality accommodation that are usually located near large resorts. The mixture of types of tourism is extensive, such as small-scale NFT, mix mass tourism and small-scale NFT, environmentally enhanced mass tourism and so on. Additionally, in many destinations they might be blend further, as the combination or the individual use of the two types depends on the context of the destination (Bramwell 2004). An important issue to consider is matching the various products to the many potential visitor segments successfully; while preventing augmenting negative effects on sustainability that can be caused by the new mix of tourism types (Bramwell 2004).

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Fernando and Rebollo (2001) claim, that if the Mediterranean islands were able to mix a suitable combination of nature, sea, landscape, history and myth this would boost their position among competitors. Since, the combination of these elements will fulfil the new trends in tourist demand, such as the need to gain new cultural experiences and offer the authenticity that they are seeking. However, there is a lack of research on whether tourists visiting coastal resorts would equally use the resort and the historical resources and the impact that this will have on the sustainability of the destination (Bramwell 2004).
2.6.1. Tourisms seasonal and spatial concentration

The diversity of conventional mass and NFT can help destinations to extend the tourist season, as seasonality is a key challenge that Mediterranean islands face (Garau-Vadell and de Borja-Sole 2008; Bartolome et al. 2009). This is due to their highly seasonal product of the sun-and-sea, for instance, Majorcas high season between May and October attributes for 80% of arrivals (Sastre and Benito 2001). Butler (1994 cited in Koenig-Lewis and Bischoff 2005 p.202) describes seasonality as: a temporal imbalance in the phenomenon of tourism [which] may be expressed in terms of dimensions of such elements as numbers of visitors, expenditure of visitors, traffic on highways and other forms of transportation, employment and admissions to attractions. In other words seasonality refers to the concentration of tourist flows in somewhat short periods that reoccurs relatively in the same periods, but may change through the years. This concentration of tourist flow can be conveyed by measuring the number of arrivals, the money that tourists spend, the employment rate and the tourists visiting attractions.

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The key determinants of seasonality are natural and institutional (FernandezMorales 2003). Natural causes, refer to the weather conditions that make some destinations unappealing (Fernandez-Morales 2003). Institutional, refers to cultural, ethnic, social factors, general issues that influence consumer decision (FernandezMorales 2003). For instance, social factors can include public, business or school vacations (Andriotis 2005). Andriotis (2005) highlights that schools summer holidays are one of the most significant contributors to seasonality. Additionally, Butler (1994 cited in Koenig-Lewis and Bischoff 2005) identified social pressure or fashion, sporting calendars and inertia or tradition as contributing factors. Sporting activities can include skiing, golf or surfing, whilst, tradition and inertia note the fact that many people take holidays at peak seasons because they have always done so (Butler 1994 cited in Koening-Lewis and Bischoff 2005 p.205). More specifically, people take their holidays at certain times, because they need to attend a certain event in a specific destination at a particular time of the year or because it has become a habit, and old habits are difficult to break. Moreover, Andriotis (2005) points out that from the supply side there could be restrictions not attributed to the human decision factor, such as failure of the government to convince owners of business to stay open during the low-season, availability of workers and reluctance of tour operators and carriers to continue through the off-peak season. One implication of seasonality is the vast amount of food and other resources that are needed in order to satisfy the demand during high-peak season (Selwyn 2001). Consequently, the Mediterranean has become an area subject to regular bouts of over-demand and over-use of resources especially water, Malta faces many problems due to lack of water (Selwyn 2001 p.41). In addition, there are negative
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effects on individual tourism businesses, particularly the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), such as hotels and restaurants, that have poor occupancy rates in off-peak season, thus, low profitability (Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida 2008). The seasonal nature of employment is evident in destinations, SMEs find it very difficult to hire and retain qualified employees, and therefore, the service quality is negatively affected (Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida 2008). Moreover, local tourism workers often remain unemployed or find alternative work during off-peak season as a large number of tourist accommodations either close or are vacant (Andriotis 2005; Sastre and Benito 2001). However, seasonality can also be positive, as it offers an opportunity to carry out maintenance on infrastructure and amenities (Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida 2008). Additionally, it provides social and environmental advantages as it offers the time to recover from the strain of the high-season period (Andriotis 2005). Flognfeldt (2001 cited in Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida 2008 p.7) believes that seasonality offers an opportunity of developing sustainable seasonal tourism, if the destination was able to incorporate other forms of tourism production such as fishing, agriculture to promote rural destinations. Koenig-Lewis and Bischoff (2005) present a summary of the various demand and supply strategies to appeal to visitors during the low season, as well as the restrictions which can affect their success (See Figure 3). As it is demonstrated by the figure, in order to attract tourists during the low-season attention must be paid to the presentation, price, quality, promotion and distribution, hence, offering a different package that meets the needs of the off-peak tourist. For instance, packages could be offered for special interest tourists, or short holiday weekends. However, it is important not to let quality and

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product image decrease in order to recover the costs of special offers (Grant et al. 1997 cited in Koenig-Lewis and Bischoff, 2005)
Figure 3 Demand and supply elements of tourism seasonality

Source: Fitzpatrick Associates (1993 cited in Koenig-Lewis and Bischoff 2005 p.211)

Spatial concentration of tourist related facilities in only a few coastal areas is a distinctive characteristic of islands (Ioannides 2002). For example, in Crete 70% of tourism activities take place in the northern part of the island, near the main airports, ports and freeway and 45% of tourist accommodation is in the Prefecture of Heraklion, which is the main city of the island (Andriotis 2003). Coastal areas dominate as far as location of tourist enterprises is concerned (Andriotis 2006 p.630). More specifically, most of the population is attracted to the sea, and the largest concentrations of population are in the coastal areas, whereas the inland of the destination is considered as a complimentary attraction to coastal tourism. Amenities and infrastructure related to tourism (such as accommodation,

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airports, entertainment places and sewage disposal systems) more often than not are clustered within or near resorts to benefit from agglomeration economies (Bramwell 2004; Papatheodorou 2004). In other words, by concentrating in one area all businesses can gain economies of scale, since as more firms concentrate together the cost of production will be reduced. Additionally, a cluster of suppliers from a similar sector can attract more customers than a standalone business. Therefore, as these resorts grow, due to the increase of tourist flow it results to more investment (Papatheodorou 2004). Thus, these core resorts can shed an agglomeration shadow on other resorts, leading to all tourist related facilities centred in a few areas than many (Papatheodorou 2004 p.225). Papatheodorou (2004) also highlights that tourist demand affects spatial polarization. Particularly, some tourists visit core resorts that have large industry players, with a range of facilities within an accustomed, branded setting, whilst such business concentrate in a locale where these type of tourists are attracted. Drawing from Plogs (2001) categorization of tourists, Papatheodorou (2004) argues that mid-and psychocentrics will holiday in the core resorts, while allocentrics will visit the peripheral areas (See Appendix B, where Plogs (2001) tourist classifications are illustrated). Spatial concentration is not without social, environmental and economic implications. Tourism can encourage regional development but can also create regional imbalance due to the extensive concentration of tourism activities in the coastal areas (Andriotis 2006). For instance, Crete is experiencing an uneven

dissemination of tourist flows as most tourists are concentrating at coastal areas with the peripheral areas focusing on agriculture (Andriotis 2006). This cluster in the coastal areas, in concurrence with the poor access to and from the main markets, has

39

left hinterland areas with high unemployment rate, a depleted population density and small community size (Brown and Hall 2000 cited in Andriotis 2006). This development gap has created depopulation due to migration of local people from the hinterland areas to the coastal resorts (Andriotis 2006). Andriotis (2006 p.631) suggests that only recently - due to the shift of demand towards more specialised forms of tourism- has tourism helped in the economic development of peripheral regions. The hinterland areas are now perceived as authentic by the tourists, rich in symbolic representation of the unspoilt, the pure and traditional (Irvine and Anderson 2004 p.230). The hinterland areas can offer relaxation and an attractive environment that differs from the fast pace in urban areas (Andriotis 2006 p. 631). Although, hinterland areas are an attractive offer, they have only recently started being considered as a proposition in their own right in the islands, given that they were previously thought to be a complimentary factor to the dominant 4Ss product. However, the current consumption trends are indicating a shift towards a more specialised form of tourism, thus, assisting the economic development of the hinterland areas.

2.7. Shifting modes of production and consumption

Before analysing the changes in consumption and production it is important to briefly state the antecedents of the forms of tourism, as this will offer an understanding of the motivations behind each form. In other words, what type of consumer demands, each form fulfilled. Mass tourism development, encompasses features of Fordist model of production and consumption (Bramwell 2004). Bramwell (2004) elaborates to describe that aspects of the tourism industry operate through massive standardized production (for example tour operators). He argues
40

that tourists want the experience of collective consumption that is obtained on busy shores, in bars, clubs and shopping centres. However, there is a shift towards postFordist tourism; where, the dismissal of some forms of conventional mass tourism exists (Aguilo et al. 2005). This shift lies towards the NFT (Aguilo et al. 2005). The post-Fordist model favours or expresses market fragmentation,

diversification of consumer tastes and quality aspects (Loukissas and Skayiannis 2001 p.241). In particular, tourists are now seeking more specialised products, diversity and in a smaller scale combined with higher quality standards. Large hotel complexes are still very popular for the tourists, however, they are being challenged by a large amount of tourists who favour smaller establishments, and their holiday desires are directed more to a form of tourism closer to the environment (Loukissas and Skayiannis 2001). The nature of consumption is directly related, and of particular importance to the tourist industry as its services are produced and consumed at the same location (Agarwal 2002 p. 35). Therefore, it is crucial to explore the new patterns of consumption. According to Aguilo et al. (2005) the shift from the Fordist to the postFordist mode was influenced by tourists stronger demands, the increase of the consumers disposable income and the modification of the socio-demographic and cultural qualities of families. Additionally, the shift was a result of the increased significance placed on cultural aspects, new habits, as well as a change in the importance of environmental resources. The above mentioned changes have resulted in creating the concept of new tourism identified by Poon (1993 in cited Aguilo et al. 2005). The old tourist is defined as an inexpert, standard, mass tourist in search of hot weather and a suntan

41

within the framework of a rigidly packaged holiday (Aguilo et al. 2005 p. 219). The old tourist concept was an outcome of the Fordist model that characterised the lifestyle of the consumers at the time, as only a small amount of consumers had holidayed abroad, since it was considered a luxury. Hence, the mass model reduced the risk in travelling abroad. Whereas, the new tourist concept is represented by the post-Fordist model, where consumers have more experience as more of them have travelled abroad and on a more frequent basis, due to the increase of the disposable income. Therefore, the new tourist is essentially very different, more experienced, environmentally responsible, more impulsive and more volatile, demanding more flexibility and independence (Aguilo et al. 2005). Additionally, owing to the experience that the new tourists have gained from travelling abroad, they are highly diverse demanding a variety of products, searching for cultural and heritage experiences, less spatially concentrated and do not rely on the cost of packaged product (Ashworth and Tunbridge 2005 p. 46). Due to this change in consumption, many researchers agree that SIT, active and alternative vacations appeal to a greater number of tourists (Bartolome et al. 2009; Agarwal 2002; Spilanis and Vayianni 2004). These new tourists, are place specific and experience specific in that the distinctive narrative advantage of a unique value proposition is based on the specific resources and characteristics of the region, therefore, they create circumstances where their encounter, would be a unique experience (Ashworth and Tunbridge 2005 p.46). In other words, the new tourists do not accept the idea of the could be anywhere sun and sea image, when deciding on a destination, but, the destination choice depends on the unique experience that the specific, unique destination will create for them.
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The accessibility of internet has encouraged more travellers to book their holidays individually to satisfy their particular needs and interests (Bramwell 2004). Meethan (1998 cited in Claver-Crtes et al. 2007) asserted that, due to the shift in consumption and the easy accessibility of information, mature destinations must be restructured to delay or halt their imminent decline. On the other hand, William and Shaw (1998 cited in Bramwell 2004 p.15) state that the supposed shift from mass tourism been exaggerated, there is at best only evidence of a relative decline, when contrasted with some other forms of tourism. In other words, although more personalised and flexible forms of tourism of special interest such as golf and sailing or alternative forms such as agrotourism and cultural are increasing in importance it does to predict the decline of mass tourism. William and Shaw (1998 cited in Bramwell 2004) continue to argue that mass tourism coexisted with other forms of tourism from 1970s; it was only marginally the dominant form of tourism. They add that European destinations have diversified resources and they already have provisions to appeal to a variety of consumers. In addition, mass holidays have declined in Northern Europe but, there is still growth in Southern and Eastern Europe (Bramwell 2004). Bramwell (2004) argues that there are still tourists who prefer mass resorts due to the advantages, such as convenience and quality guarantee. Aguilo et al. (2005) in a study at the Balearics noted that if the mass model changes towards sustainability it is likely to avoid deterioration. Claver-Crtes et al. (2007 p.728) claim, that mature destinations are neoFordist, meaning that they need to adapt to market demands by employing new

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information and communication technologies (ICT) and information systems (IS). These mature Mediterranean destinations, such as the Balearics, are thought to be unsustainable and declining. Therefore, they need to evolve and adjust to the modern tourist demands for more personalised, diversified and flexible forms, within what fundamentally continue to be mass products. This adaptation of the mature destinations, through ICT and IS, led to labelling the destinations as neo-Fordist. By incorporating ICT and IS, it will be easier to target particular segments that are interested in coastal regions, while combining a wide range of different activities (Claver- Crtes et al. 2007). This is due to the speed and accuracy that technology offers in informing the consumer, regarding the products that the destination provides. The aim should be to increase flexibility through demand-led product diversification and niche marketing either through the destinations organization or through tour operators (Fernando and Rebollo 2004 p. 57; Bramwell 2004). Due to the intense competition within the tourism industry fulfilling the tourists demands should be a primary goal, hence, the decision of product diversification should be result from the needs and wants of the tourists. Therefore, the flexibility that a variety of products will offer the destination should assist in avoiding the stagnation or decline stage. The introduction of no-frills airlines simplified booking independent holidays (Bramwell 2004). Andriotis et al. (2007), following a study in Crete, identified that tourists were interested in special interest activities that were not provided. They claim that new creative activities should be offered for niche markets such as mountaineering. Also, action should be taken to increase the awareness of these activities to shift the attention from the conventional product (Andriotis et al.
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2007). As it was demonstrated, there is no simple linear and universal shift from Fordism to post-Fordism (Agarwal 2002 p.36). More specifically, it is impossible to associate specifically the decline of mass coastal destinations to the post-Fordist stage, as it took place before post-Fordism, and it is associated with the developments in air-travel and the consequent competition (Agarwal 2002). The shift was more probably gradual; hence, the oversimplification of the shift in modes of production and consumption should be avoided when restructuring mass tourism destinations.

2.8. Development of special interest tourism (SIT)

The shifting mode of consumption, highlighted above, and the progression of SIT is thought to suggest the variety of leisure interests of the new tourist (Trauer 2005). Following from Spilannis and Vayiannis (2004) definition of SIT where special motives induce travel; Douglas et al. (2001 p.3) define SIT as the provision of customised leisure and recreational experiences driven by the specific expressed interest of individual and groups. Read (1980 cited in McKercher and Chan 2005 p.21) believes that SIT is the hub around which the total travel experience is planned and developed. In particular, the purpose of the travel is based on the special interest that a tourist has on a specific activity, that essentially motivates him/her to travel to a certain destination and all activities that he/she will participate in will be associated with the special interest activity. It is argued that SIT can be expressed through four factors rewarding, enriching, adventuresome and learning experiences (Read 1980 cited in Douglas et al. 2001). Although written in the 1980s, the factors that Read identified are similar to the concept of new tourist that Poon (1993) recognized.
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Both definitions presented above refer to the motivations of consumers in the context of SIT. Thus, it is crucial to examine tourists behaviour through motivation, as motivation is thought to be the primary driver (Lee 2009). Many researchers have investigated the motives and desires of travellers and their planning processes (Bansal and Eiselt 2004). However, there is a lack of empirical research in relation to tourist motives (Bansal and Eiselt 2004). A well accepted typology in the literature in order to understand motivation is the push and pull model by Crompton (1979) (Lam and Hsu 2006). The concept behind the push and pull model is the decomposition of a tourists choice of destination to two forces; push and pull (Lam and Hsu 2004). The push factor is the force that pushes the tourist away from home and attempts to create a general desire to go someplace else, but without stipulating where that may be (Lam and Hsu 2004). On the other hand, the pull factor is the force that pulls a tourist towards a destination due to a region-specific lure, or perceived attractiveness of a destination (Lam and Hsu 2004 p. 589). More specifically, the pull factors refer to how the tourists are attracted towards a destination by its attributes. The above model depicts that a tourist travels because they are pushed by their internal motives and pulled by external forces of a destination (Lam and Hsu 2004 p.589). In other words, push motivations are associated more with internal or emotional factors, whereas pull motivations by external, situational or cognitive factors. People take part in tourism activities in order to satisfy their needs for relaxation, knowledge and escape and to develop social relationships (Lee 2009 p. 218). More specifically, push motivations can be perceived as the need for escape, relaxation, fitness and health, prestige, adventure and social contact, family
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togetherness and enthusiasm (Crompton 1979 cited in Yoon and Uysal 2005). In particular, tourists may go on holiday in order to escape the everyday routine and seek real experiences. In contrast, pull motivations are related to the ones that are instigated by the attractiveness of the destination, for instance the beaches, the recreational activities, cultural features, entertainment, the natural environment, retail shops and parks (Yoon and Uysal 2005). The characteristics of the destination will inspire and strengthen inherent push factor. Given that, the activity provided or characteristics of the destination may create particular intrinsic rewards, for instance, picturesque surroundings may intensify the feeling of escape from daily life. Four elements of motivation were suggested by McIntosh and Gupta (1977 cited in Lee 2009): physical, cultural, interpersonal status and prestige. Many researchers have used this model in specific fields of tourism as well (Lee 2009). For instance, Correia and Pintassilgo (2006) in study on golf motivations in the Algarve, identified social environment (beaches and events), leisure (location, climate, tourist amenities), golf (the characteristics of the courses) and logistics (price and accessibility) as motivational elements. Chen et al. (2008 p.103) on a study about motivations of wellness travellers emphasize relaxation and seeking multiple activities, recreation and enjoying nature as the most important motives. Furthermore, travellers motivations are thought to consist of cultural, exploration, novelty regression, equilibrium, recovery, known group socialization, external interaction and gregariousness at festival events (Lee 2009 p. 219). Kozak (2001 cited in Lam and Hsu 2006) highlighted that empirical research on motivations can aid in recognizing the appropriate attributes to be promoted in order to match travellers motivations; or to recognize segments where the attributes of the destination can match the travellers motivations.
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In addition to the motivational factors, it is important to recognize the decision making process of customers within the SIT context. Brotherton and Himmetoglou (1997 cited in Trauer 2006 p.187), based on the review of literature in leisure and tourism, proposed a tourism interest continuum concept. They suggested that as the experience on travel, self-assurance and wealth of the tourist grows, a maturation or tourist life cycle shift occurs, from safe to more adventurous kind of travel and holidays, as the consumer upgrades by buying social prestige and ego-enhancement. In other words, over the years as an individual gains more knowledge in travelling from his/her experiences, he/she matures as a traveller, therefore, he/she is more inclined to take risks when taking a trip, as well as seek experiences that will enhance his/her social status and character. Brotherton and Himmetoglou (1997 cited Trauer 2006) introduced the idea that the tourist will go through three stages, first, the General interest tourism (GIT), second, Mixed interest tourism (MIT) and third, Special interest tourism (SIT). All the stages represent a question that the tourist will ask during the decision-making process. GIT refers to where I would like to go?, a stage where the tourist does not really have any specific requirements that the destination needs to possess. MIT refers to where do I want to go and what activities can I pursue there?, during this stage the activities are still not a primary goal, rather than a complimentary factor, as the tourist does have some requirements on the activities that the destination needs to have. Finally, SIT asks what interest/activity do I want to pursue, and where can I do it?, in this stage the activity is the primary goal of the trip and the tourist has specific requirements from the destination, the destination choice will depend on the activities offered and whether they will satisfy the needs of the individual tourist.

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Bratherton and Himmetoglou (1997 cited in Trauer 2006 p. 187) identified two types of tourists dabbler and expert. They argue that the dabbler is looking to swap from GIT and MIT, and relative to the individuals attitude to risk, will be looking for fashionable or popular products as a vehicle to express themselves. In contrast for the expert the activity is key, for his/her life. Thus, the expert that is SIT will probably decide on a special interest vacation directly relating with their hobbies and activities that they do at home. However, vacation choice is a multimotivational decision making process, hence MIT and SIT are interconnected (Tauer 2006). Additionally, Trauer (2006) argues that in all three categories of (GIT, MIT and SIT) many types of activities within the SIT (e.g. sports, business etc) may take place. Finally, the diversification of the product-mix through SIT such as sport tourism, can not only help to tackle seasonality, but also to promote sustainable tourism development (Garau-Vadell and Borja-Sole 2008; Spilanis and Vayianni 2004). Therefore, it is crucial for destinations and especially mature islands to understand the tourist behaviour, to avoid decline.

2.9. Conclusion
In conclusion, this chapter has highlighted the critical problems and challenges that Mediterranean islands are facing, in relation to the tourism industry. New technological advances and the shift in modes of production and consumption have intensified the competition for the mature and developed Mediterranean destinations. Additionally, researchers claim that these destinations have reached stagnation or even the declining stage. The literature has shown that the tremendous rapid growth of the destinations which led to the conventional mass tourism model and their one-dimensional tourism product of 4Ss, are not economically, socially
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and environmentally viable. A sustainable tourism model has been identified in the literature as key, for the improvement of the competitive position of the destinations. However, the misinterpretation of the term sustainability has prevented the destinations to implement sustainable practices. Furthermore, the analysis of the literature has emphasized a shift in the mode of consumption, from a Fordist model to post-Fordist, which is characterised with new trends. The concept of the new tourism has brought a new market that demands a diversified tourism product, on a smaller scale, with more attention paid to the built and natural environment, as well as an experienced tourist looking for a unique proposition. These new trends are pushing destinations of conventional mass tourism to seek new forms of tourism away from their traditional model, such as SIT and alternative tourism, and match these new types to the needs and wants of the tourist. Moreover, due to the tourism model that the islands have adopted seasonality was identified in the literature as a vital challenge that creates many environmental, social and economical problems. Hence, driving destinations to reconsider their strategies and seek a new more sustainable tourism model that will also meet the tourists demands. In the literature, turning towards SIT has been highlighted as a viable option for the Mediterranean islands, with sufficient resources, to tackle seasonality. Consequently, the following chapter will introduce and examine Cyprus, a mature mass-tourism Mediterranean island. The focus of the ensuing chapter will be on the current developments and issues in the tourism industry of Cyprus, which will be used as a case study to answer the research projects objectives.

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3. TOURISM IN CYPRUS
3.1. Introduction
Cyprus is a traditional economically developed mature destination in the Mediterranean region (See Figure 4). In 1974, Cyprus experienced a tremendous rapid growth in the tourism industry, through exploiting its beaches and climatic conditions. It has since established itself as a conventional mass summer destination, focusing on the 4Ss product. Consequently, as many mature destinations in the Mediterranean, it faces the same challenges that were identified in the previous chapter. For this reason, Cyprus is an excellent example of the traditional Mediterranean island destination.

Figure 4 Map of Cyprus

Source: Religious Intelligence (2006).

Therefore, Cyprus is a case study that can offer rich information data that will enable the researcher to appropriately examine the phenomena under investigation
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and fulfil the objectives set. Accordingly, this chapter will firstly present some general information on Cyprus, and examine how the island progressed into becoming an important Mediterranean destination. Secondly, it will analyse the current tourism developments and the challenges that Cyprus faces in this dynamic tourism market.

3.2. An account of Cyprus

Cyprus is one of the two independent islands microstate, with the other one being Malta, and the third largest island in the Mediterranean basin. It is situated at the crossroads of three continents Europe, Asia and Africa, at the eastern part of the Mediterranean close to Turkey. Cyprus is a member of the European Union, since 2004, and the Commonwealth since 1961. Cyprus, as a whole, covers an area of 9,251 sq. km, with an estimated population of 778,700 (Greek-Cypriots, 2006 estimation) (U.S. Department of State 2008). The history of Cyprus dates back to around 10,000 BC and is one of the oldest settlements in the Mediterranean. However, by 3,700 BC, there is evidence that the island was well inhabited. Cyprus was under the rule of the Assyrian, Egyptian, Persian, Greek and Roman, successively. It was then occupied by the Byzantium, in 395 AD for 800 years. It was later briefly under the reign of King Richard I of England during the Crusades, and was then sold on the Frankish at the end of the 12th century. Cyprus was then under the control of the Republic of Venice which begun in 1489. In 1570 the Venetians lost control of Cyprus to the Ottomans who ruled until 1878, when Cyprus was ceded to the British Empire, where the island was an important military base. In 1925, Cyprus was officially declared as a British Crown colony.

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In 1955, the EOKA organisation led an armed fight against the British, and seeking independence and union with Greece. However, after an agreement in Zurich and London between Greece, Turkey and the UK, the island gained its independence in the 1960s from Britain. Additionally, the treaty affirmed that the British would maintain two sovereign base areas, which are now within the Greek-Cypriot area of the island. Archbishop Makarios III was the first president of the Republic of Cyprus. Yet, Cyprus still retains strong ties with the British (Ioannides and Holcomb 2001). However, in 1974 the Turkish invasion resulted in a de facto division between Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots. The southern two-thirds of the island are controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus, whereas the one-third by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The Republic of Cyprus is the only internationally acknowledged authority, as the creation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was a result of an invasion (U.S. Department of State 2008). Since 1974, the political climate is stable (Ioannides and Holcomb 2001). This research will only refer to the government controlled part of Cyprus (the GreekCypriot). Since 1974, Cyprus has seen a climatic economic growth, mainly from tourism, and witnessed an economic miracle (Ioannides 2001 p. 113). Cyprus has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $21,600 and an annual growth of 3.8% of GDP and is one of the wealthiest regions in the Mediterranean (U.S. Department of State 2008). The island has an open free-market, services-based economy with some light manufacturing (U.S. Department of state 2008 p.4). In other words, the government only intervenes to regulate against force or fraud, the prices are established based on supply and demand, and the economy relies on the service

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sector such as tourism, and light manufacturing, mainly in consumer and construction products. Tourism is the main economic driver for Cyprus. Currently, the contribution of travel and tourism to GDP is 18.3% and according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) it is expected to rise to 19.8% by 2019 (WTTC 2009). Tourism is a major contributor for employment with 87,000 jobs in 2009 and a 22.9% of the total employment (WTTC 2009). Additionally, export profits from international tourists and tourism merchandise are estimated at 25.1% of total exports (WTTC 2009). Tourism in Cyprus touches all industries sectors, hence, it is a crucial force for the islands development as a whole.

3.3. Tourism development in Cyprus

Following Sharpley (2004) the tourism development of Cyprus occurred in two stages. The first stage was from 1960-1974, when Cyprus gained its independence until the Turkish invasion. During this stage Cyprus, transformed from receiving 25,700 tourists in 1960, to more than 264,000 tourists by 1973, demonstrating an annual growth of 22% (Sharpley 2004). This was due to the spatial restructuring, from Troodos mountains (where most of the accommodation was located) to the coastal areas of Famagusta and Kyrenia (Ioannides 2001). Consequently, due to the affordable prices of air travel, the offering of packaged-holidays and the growing demand for sun-and-sea in the northern markets, Cyprus became an established mass summer destination (Ioannides 2001). Britain, Germany and Scandinavia became the dominant markets for tourist arrivals (Ioannides 2002). However, following the invasion most for the islands economy in general and tourism sector in particular virtually collapsed (Sharpley 2002 p.236). Most of the tourist facilities, along with the airport were lost (Sharpley 2002).
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Despite all the challenges that Cyprus had, it managed to reinstate itself as an important Mediterranean destination (Sharpley 2001). The growth in tourist arrivals surpassed any other Mediterranean destination, with an annual growth rate of 18% (Papamichael 2003; Ioannides 2001). The island rebuilt its infrastructures concentrating on the southern part of the island (Sharpley 2001). The coastal resorts of Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and the area around Ayia Napa, received most of the international tourist (Ioannides 2001). The reason behind this concentration of tourists was that these four towns were the only relatively large coastal resorts that remained after the invasion, and the de facto division of the island. During the period of 1990-1998 the room capacity increased by 56% reaching 87,000 beds (Hoti et al. 2007). Additionally, during the same period a significant investment was made to improve accommodation facilities mostly 3-star - 5-star, whilst non-stared hotels decreased, in an attempt to improve the tourist product (Hoti et al. 2007). In 1999, arrivals increased to 2.4 million and tourist receipts reached 1,022 million Cypriot Pounds (Sharpley 2002). This was mainly a result of the increased popularity of Ayia Napa as a club/dance resort, and some intense marketing campaigns directed at the UK during the 1990s (Sharpley 2002). The seasonal costal resorts of Ayia Napa and Paphos have the largest bed capacity at 20,886 and 28,776 respectively (CTO 2008a). (A full breakdown of all accommodation capacity of Cyprus can be found in Appendix C). Even though Cyprus tourism development may look like a success story, a number of fundamental problems exist (Papamichael 2003). Even as early as 1992, it was acknowledged that the tremendous growth that the Cypriot tourism was experiencing was unsustainable (Papamichael 2003). Since, the mid-80s the success of the tourism has been assessed in relation to the growth of arrivals, yet, in the
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1990s tourist arrivals were erratic (Sharpley 2002). The growth in the late 1990s was a consequence of the increased popularity of Ayia Napa, as a club/dance area. Additionally, most of the land along the coastal areas had been built or was in the process to be built on, consequently putting enormous strain on the islands natural and human resources (Papamichael 2003). Cyprus experiences the similar environmental challenges that most mass mature destinations in the Mediterranean face, such as architectural pollution, damage of flora and fauna, loss of fertile agricultural land, coastal erosion, air, water, soil and noise pollution as well as placing extreme pressure on the natural resources of the island (Sharpley 2004). A constant challenge that Cyprus faces is the scarcity of water, and it is generally believed that tourism has worsen the situation. However, a study undertaken by the Department of Water Development found that 77% of water is used by the agricultural sector, 21% for household services and only 2% by the tourism industry (Sharpley 2004). Furthermore, the islands whole economy was relying on the tourism industry (Sharpley 2002). In 2000, 40 500 people were directly working in tourism, with about 25% of the total population being directly or indirectly reliant on the tourism industry (Sharpley 2004). Tourism has enabled to keep the islands unemployment rate to a minimum since the 1980s. In addition, tourism receipts, have aided in maintaining a high rate of economic growth as a whole, averaging nearly 10% per year since 1980 (Ayres 2000). Another key problem that the tourism industry faces is the over-reliance on the British, Scandinavian and German markets (Saveriades 2000; Papamichael 2002). For instance, the British accounted for 51% in 2008 (CTO 2008a).

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Additionally, shortage of labour and arrival of foreign workers has resulted in decreasing tourist satisfaction as the service provided has become more mechanical and formal, thus., losing the traditional Cypriot spirit that tourists seek (Ayres 2000 p. 125; Saveriades 2000). In other words, Cyprus was renowned for its warmth, friendliness and hospitality. However, the shortage of employees has brought a large number of untrained workers to Cyprus and usually on a seasonal basis. Hence, it is very difficult to teach an employee or even for the employee to care- if he/she is only working for a few months at time- the Cypriot temperament and how they should behave towards the customers. Moreover, the average length of stay

continues to decrease -in 2000 it was 11 days, in 2008 it was 10.1 days- hence the average spend is not rising as expected (CTO 2008a; Sharpley 2002). Most of the international tourists travel to Cyprus on packaged arrangements, resulting in approximately 30% of arrivals in Cyprus being controlled by the German group Preussag (Papamichael 2003). Hence, tour operators have enormous power on the industry, and due to the overcapacity of beds that Cyprus is experiencing, tour operators are permitted to negotiate discounts half the price of the published price of hotels (Ioannides 2002). Seasonality is another key challenge in Cyprus; the highseason of July until September accounted for 53.4% of total arrivals in 2008 (Sharpley 2002; CTO 2008a). All statistical figures from CTO can be found in appendices; revenue, tourist arrivals annually and length of stay (D), tourist arrivals by month (E), arrivals by country of usual residence (F) and location of stay (G). Furthermore, the spatial concentration of the tourist activity along the coast has highlighted the chronic regional economic imbalances, with the coastal areas accounting 40% of the population and 45% of non-farming labour (Ioannides 2001 p.118). The coastal regions of Larnaka, Limassol, Paphos and Paralimni-Ayia Napa57

account for more than 90% of tourist activity (Ioannides 2001). Therefore, many mountainous areas are underdeveloped, hence, they have witnessed large-scale depopulation (Ioannides 2001 p.118). Another key issue is the environmental impact of the development which has let policy-makers to believe that some coastal areas have reached their carrying capacity levels (Ioannides and Holcomb 2001). The development is threatening the flora and fauna of the island; it has created aesthetic pollution, coastal erosion and serious water shortages (Ioannides and Holcomb 2001 p.247). Moreover, high labour costs, and the laissez-faire policy that dominates the island, have also been identified as important challenges (Saveriades 2000 p. 148). More specifically, the Cypriots are characterised by an individualistic nature, thus, presenting itself as a challenge for implementing any type of planning in development. The tourism development in Cyprus established the island as a mass 4Ss destination. However, the environmental and sociocultural problems that it exhibits due to the uncontrollable development- have resulted in Cyprus losing its competitive edge (Ioannides and Holcomb 2001; Saveriades 2000). Due to the characteristics that Cyprus is demonstrating, Ioannides and Holcomb (2001) believe that the lifecycle of the island has reached stagnation. As it was mentioned earlier, the tourism industry is fundamental for the Cypriot economy. Thus, reaching stagnation as a tourist destination would have devastating effects on the economy, and Cyprus as a whole, as all industry sectors are directly or indirectly related to tourism. Therefore, any negative effects on businesses would subsequently have damaging effects on the Cypriot people as well.

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3.4. Tourism Product

As illustrated above, Cyprus has been depended on the conventional mass sun-and-sea product. However, the new strategy that was introduced by the CTO in 2003, has aimed at diversifying and improving the quality of the tourism product (CTO 2003). Cyprus has the resources to offer a multi-diverse product and focus on alternative forms of tourism as well as special interest tourism (CTO 2003). One-seventh of Cyprus land is still covered with forests, offering a great potential for alternative and SIT to develop (Fernando and Rebollo 2001). Thus, in order to appeal to tourists on alternative tourism, the government has introduced new cycling routes2 (TravelWeekly 2009). This network is a section of a larger one that will eventually cover most of Cyprus (TravelWeekly 2009). Additionally, agrotourism and ecotourism have also been promoted in Cyprus (Sharpley 2002). In the mountainous region of Troodos and in other areas such as Akamas, Limassol and Larnaka regions, 50 rural villages are being restored and advertised as rural destinations (Ioannides and Holcomb 2001; Sharpley 2002). These villages were chosen due to their traditional architecture, general attractiveness and the willingness of the local communities (Sharpley 2002 p.238). The majority of the buildings (approximately 60 units) restored were changed to accommodation units, mainly as self-catering/serviced inns and small hotels and some villas for rent (Sharpley 2002 p.238). Additionally, the traditional Cypriot socio-cultural customs were rejuvenated and provided as part of the agrotourism product (Sharpley 2002).

The Troodos Cycling Network, which commenced in October 2008.

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This was supported by the introduction of a range of educational and awareness courses for local people (Sharpley 2002). For instance, a collection of traditional recipes was assembled and edited by the government3 and private gastronomic groups, in order to promote traditional Cypriot cuisine among rural restaurateurs (Sharpley 2002). In addition, a number of training courses in other regions, such as Cypriot folk-dancing and music, traditional crafts, service and business skills, were organized between the public education authorities in association with the CTO. Furthermore, the CTO has created the wine routes where it takes the tourist on a journey visiting a variety of vineyards and restaurants scattered around the island. Ecotourism has also been promoted as a form of tourism; however Ioannides and Holcomb (2001 p.251) note that a number of mass tourism resorts jumped on the eco fad more as a marketing trick by selling eco safaris. In other words, tour operators promoted day trips to the hinterland areas of Cyprus. These were directed to the tourists staying at the coastal resorts and were labelled eco-safaris. However, this resulted in a convoy of Jeeps or Land Rovers spoiling the peace in isolated areas of the island (Ioannides and Holcomb 2001). Moreover, food and drinks are provided by the tour company; therefore, the areas they visit receive little or no economic benefits (Ioannides and Holcomb 2001). Cyprus, like other Mediterranean islands has a cultural heritage as well as political/nationalistic history in cornerstone for identity-building which could be used as a main attraction (Salanniemi 2001p.110). However, as Sharpley (2001) identified significant heritage sites in Cyprus, need better interpretation and tourist facilities. Cyprus does possess a number of architectural sites, churches and
3

In particular, the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment.

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monasteries to visit, such as Tombs of the Kings (an UNESCO world heritage monument) or Kykkos Monastery, the most impressive monastery in Cyprus built at the end of the 11th century in Troodos Mountains that retains invaluable religious relics gathered over the centuries. Thus, it is crucial that these heritage sites are properly utilised to offer the customer the best possible experience. Following, the strategy for diversifying the product, the Cypriot government has permitted the development of fourteen new eighteen-holes golf courses moving from three to seventeen (Tourism Concern 2009). However, the project was frozen due to water scarcity last year (Tourism Concern 2009). In order to tap into special interest tourism policy-makers have approved many projects to improve infrastructure, and thus, their competitive position as well as moving towards the luxury market. The island is actively pursuing sports, conferences, health and

wellbeing and maritime tourism. For instance, in Larnaca, 2 million Euros will be invested in order to convert the area into a cruise hub for the eastern Mediterranean, as well as expand the current marina (Liston 2008). The Ayii Anargiri Spa resort in Milou village had just opened to enhance their product and tackle the health and well-being market (Travel Weekly 2009). The islands infrastructure, in general, has also improved. The new airport in Larnaca is due to open this year, with a capacity of 9 million passengers (Liston 2008). In addition, in Paphos a new airport opened last year with a capacity of 2.7 million passengers annually (Liston 2008). In Limassol, the roads and the 15km promenade are undergoing improvements (Liston 2008). New hotels are opening and the majority of the older hotels are upgrading their product (Liston 2008).

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Despite the improvements, observers argue that there is a lack of organization and control over investments on new infrastructure, which results in many critical problems to be overlooked (Sharpley 2004). For instance, poor roads and pavements, no public areas or green areas are available (Sharpley 2004). Ioannides and Holcomb (2001) highlight the poor service from shopkeepers as a major issue. Sharpley (2004) argues that Cyprus does not possess enough cultural areas to interest an adequate number of quality tourists, when comparing with other Mediterranean areas which offer a much superior product. However, Cyprus does have a history dating back to 8,200 BC, and is one of the oldest civilisations in the Mediterranean with many cultural sites left behind by the many civilisations that occupied Cyprus. Moreover, ten byzantine churches in Cyprus, all of Paphos archaeological sites and Choirokoitia4 are listed in the World Heritage list of UNESCO (UNESCO 2009a). Therefore, the product is available, but upgrading of the infrastructure and a change in the attitude of the locals and policy-makers are urgently needed, if Cyprus is to compete with other destination on the quality attribute.

3.5. Tourism policy and organisation in Cyprus

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) is a semi-government organisation that is in charge for the planning, promotion and marketing Cyprus tourism (Georgantzas 2003 p. 176). The CTO was founded in 1969, and is managed by a Board of Directors which consists of nine members, which they determine new tourism policies and associated matters (Sharpley 2001). CTO works under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism. The CTO receives direct funding from the government, as well as a 3% by catering and entertainment units (Sharpley 2002; CTO 1999).
4

The Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia, occupied from the 7th to the 4th millennium B.C., is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the eastern Mediterranean (UNESCO 2009b).

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The organisation encompasses four departments: administration, planning, tourist services and marketing, with the key department being marketing (CTO 2009) (See Appendix H for full organisational structure). With the key activities concentrating on marketing it can be deducted that the organisation plays more of a consultancy role rather than having any authority on tourism development (Sharpley 2001). Where the CTO has a more influential role, little authority is given for tourism development, for instance, it has control over licenses and evaluating accommodation, however, they do not have the power to decide if such establishments should be developed in the first place (Sharpley 2001). Equally, a number of political parties such as Cyprus Hotel Association and trade unions are somewhat powerful within the industry (Sharpley 2004). The strategic plan of the CTO for tourism development (2003-2010) aims to reposition Cyprus in the market, with attention paid to quality and sustainability (CTO 2003). The tourism strategy targets were to increase the visitors expenditure; expand the tourist season; growth of tourism arrivals; increase the length of stay; and improve the number of repeat visitors (CTO 2003). The plan encompassed three areas a marketing strategy, a product strategy and a quality and value-added strategy. The market segments were expanded to target more SIT such as sports, marine and business. Also, following a geographical segmentation, the high priority countries identified were UK, Russia, Greece, Germany, Republic of Ireland and France (CTO 2003). Furthermore, this year new flights from United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been launched through Etihad airways, where CTO is expecting arrivals from UAE to thrive (Chandran 2009). The product strategy has as focal points the culture and environment, and aims at the sustainability of the tourism industry, fulfilling the needs and wants of the
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relevant market segments, and offering a multifaceted tourism experience in a relatively small geographical space (CTO 2003 p.8). The product strategy includes special interest products, accommodation, improvement of general infrastructure and catering (CTO 2003). The quality/value added strategy goal is to enhance the value for money provided to the customer, by enhancing the correlation between price and quality (CTO 2003). Furthermore, regional strategic plans were conducted, focusing on the issues to be resolved, competitive advantages and the capabilities, in relation to tourism of each region (CTO 2003). Hence, the tourism development policy was based on five fundamental issues; the quality and the necessity to sustain and protect the environment; the carrying capacity of the coastline; the protection of the islands resources and preservation of the nature through appropriate planning; control of the seaside tourism development; and the enhancement of the tourism product such as upgrading the infrastructure, and the conservation of the natural and cultural environment (Metaxa 2006). In addition, more rigorous measures and control will be adopted on coastal development (3 km from shoreline) and the diversification of the development towards the more rural areas is encouraged (Metaxas 2006). This is apparent by the restoration of 50 rural villages in the Troodos mountain, Larnaka, Akamas and Limassol in order to promote agrotourism, as it was mentioned in section 3.4. In order to accomplish these objectives the CTO provides a number of incentives and subsidies. For instance, events centres, (in Limassol a 2,000seater conference centre has been approved) improvements on cultural building and improving the road network (Dinash 2009; CTO 2007a). Moreover, incentives for organising sports events are also offered, as sporting is actively pursued by the CTO

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(CTO 2007b). The plan highlighted that the success of the strategic tourism development will be determined by the capability to rapidly develop the desired product, where the cultural and environmental element in relation to the human factor will be the basis of this effort (Metaxas 2006 p. 5).

3.6. Seasonality
Seasonality is a challenge that is evident in most of the Mediterranean islands, consequently, seasonality has been identified as a major problem for the Cypriot tourism industry as well (Sharpley 2001; CTO 2003). As it was examined in the literature review seasonality can create many environmental, sociocultural and economical issues, which negatively affect the industry. Hence, below the phenomenon of seasonality in relation to the Cypriot tourism market will be examined. One major source for the seasonal fluctuations of demand that Cyprus is experiencing is the one-dimensional tourist product that it offers (Clerides and Pashourtidou 2007). Therefore, the island is characterised by the one-peak seasonality form, that it is a common characteristic of the sun-and-sea Mediterranean countries (Fernandez-Morales 2003). The main tourist period in Cyprus is usually from March to October which is considered high season and then the remainder of the year it is low season (Saveriades 2000). However, the high season has been diminishing over the years, and in 2008 53% of annual arrivals were between the months of July and September (CTO 2008a). Another, critical reason is the power that tour operators have within the market, which allows them to control the characteristics, tourist flows and prices in
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Cyprus (Sharpley 2004). This problem is essentially an issue of supply exceeding demand (Sharpley 2000). CTO has desperately tried to promote Cyprus as a cultural high-quality destination (CTO 2003). However, Sharpley (2001 p.72) examined 40 brochures of mainstream and packaged UK based tour operators. He identified that Cyprus was promoted as a safe, welcoming summer sun-sea-sand destination, with an emphasis on fun, relaxation and, given its mythical association with Aphrodite, a hint of romance. In other words, the tour operators placed more attention to the sun-and-sea product and promoted Cyprus solely as a summer destination, with a product that in essence, is apparent in most Mediterranean destinations. Little attention was paid to the culture and history of the island, which would essentially distinguish it from other Mediterranean destinations. It is apparent that Cyprus is not regarded as a cultural destination (Sharpley 2001). Therefore, the image of Cyprus as a sun-lust destination can be considered as a key cause of seasonality. The CTO has recognized that the image and one-dimensional product that they have is a critical source of seasonality. Hence, as mentioned earlier the CTO is trying to diversify its product and attract more high-spending tourists, in order to tackle seasonality, an appropriate strategy as identified in the literature. However, a study by Clerides and Pashourtidou (2007) revealed that tourists were more likely to be dissatisfied during the off-peak season, rather than the tourists during July and November (where the core product of sun, sand and sea is at its best). During the low-season, a number of tourism related businesses are closed, such as amusement parks, beach bars and clubs, certain restaurants by the beach. Furthermore, there is a lack of cultural events during the low season, in most towns such as Larnaka and

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Paphos. Although, there are many recreational activities taking place, such as sports, winter period is a relatively quieter season. Additionally, Clerides and Parhourtidou (2007) identified that tourists visiting during the off-peak season were more likely to be dissatisfied with the value for money factor as well. As it was pointed out earlier, during the off-pick season, there are not many tourist activities available as tourist arrivals are very low. Thus, it automatically affects the value for money factor, as tourists expectations are not being met by the destination. Furthermore, during the low-season, a number tourism related businesses take the opportunity to structurally improve their establishments, hence adding to the tourists dissatisfaction. A number of projects are being planned in order to accommodate for SIT (as highlighted in section 2.9.4). However, the above study clearly illustrates that there has been a consistent failure to implement the desired policy on the island (Sharpley 2004 p.333). In particular, CTO has not been able to correctly manage the development of tourism due to endogenous and exogenous factors. For example, the continuing dominance of the UK market, the tremendous power of the tour operators, the oversupply of accommodation, as well as the local political structures do not assist central control and there is a dependency of unofficial agreements between political and industry leaders (Sharpley 2004). This is apparent in the case of agrotourism, where Papamichael (2003) found that there was a lack of infrastructure, attractions and high prices to satisfy the tourists. Clerides and Pashourtidou (2007) state that the diversification of the Cypriot tourist product will not be a simple job. In addition, a major problem is the unemployment rise that is observed during the off-peak season; 4,000 people out of

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19,000 (total unemployment number) claim unemployment benefits due to the seasonality of many hotel units that close for the winter months (Adamou 2009). Furthermore, seasonality creates spatial concentration in Cyprus, resulting in not only environmental problems but also sociocultural (Sharpley 2001). Agia Napa, Paralimni and Protaras have been transformed from a small rural community to accounting for 40% of total accommodation (Sharpley 2000). However, during the off-peak season these areas become ghost towns, as hotels close and workers return to their usual place of residence, often back to their winter employment (Georgantzas 2003 p.180). This seasonality results in the over-stretching of business activities for the high-season in order to recuperate lost revenue from the off-peak season (Saveriades 2000 p.152). Subsequently, during the high-period, there is overcrowding in most of the coastal resorts, along with over-booking and very high prices, resulting in overexploiting the traveller, hence, leading to dissatisfaction (Saveriades 2000). Overcrowding during the peak-season is an issue particularly important and noticeable in the Ayia Napa area, which resulted in the damaging of its natural environment. For example, sea turtles have been driven away from the Ayia Napa beaches due to the tremendous growth of tourism activity (Ioannides 2001). As it was demonstrated seasonality is a critical factor that creates many environmental, sociocultural and economical problems. Therefore, seasonal fluctuations of demand should be taken into account in order to successfully create a more sustainable destination.

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3.7. Conclusion
In conclusion, from the examination of the Cypriot tourism industry, it has been observed that the island is experiencing similar problems as most Mediterranean destinations. Although, after the invasion in 1974 developing the tourism industry was an economically accurate strategic decision, the climatic growth, unplanned and uncontrollable development of the tourism sector has caused many environmental, sociocultural and economical challenges. Cyprus is a service-based economy, where the economical growth of the island is essentially based on tourism. The extreme, unplanned growth has driven Cyprus to become a mature conventional mass tourism destination, with a onedimensional tourism product of 4Ss. The intense competition that the island is experiencing by other Mediterranean destinations, as well as further away, has increased the pressure on the authorities in creating a more sustainable tourism model. As it was highlighted in the literature review, sustainable tourism development is a key factor in avoiding decline. Cyprus faces many challenges due to its tourism model, such as the extreme dependency on three markets, the UK, Germany and Scandinavia. Additionally, the tourist flow is controlled by the tour operators, hence, giving them enormous power within the industry. Furthermore, trade unions and trade associations have a very influential role within the industry. The overdevelopment has damaged the natural environment of the island and in some cases irreversibly. The strain that tourism exerts on the natural resources of the island is creating many problems, such as the shortage of water, pollution etc.

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The CTO, a semi-governmental organisation is responsible for the planning, promotion and marketing of Cyprus as a whole. A strategic plan for the years 2003 2010 was developed, in order to tackle the challenges of the tourism industry. The fundamental goal of the strategic plan was to create a sustainable tourism industry, through diversifying its product, tackling seasonality and focusing on quality and the value for money proposition. Although, steps have been taken to complete the goals of the plan, a number of strategies did not reach the implementation stage, mainly due to the laisser-faire policy that characterises the island. Even though seasonality was highlighted as a critical challenge in Cyprus from the strategic plan and by many researchers, not enough attention is being paid in eliminating it, or lengthening the season. Therefore, creating a number of environmental, sociocultural and economical problems. Additionally, the spatial concentration in certain regions, during the high-season, is putting immense pressure on the resources of the island. Consequently, the current research project will investigate the degree that Cyprus can overcome the seasonal fluctuations of demand that it experiences, thus, mitigating the impacts of seasonality. Accordingly, the following chapter will introduce and analyse the research design that will be followed to complete the objectives of this research project.

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4. RESEARCH DESIGN
4.1. Introduction
A research project is more than just gathering information, reading some books and asking people a few questions (Saunders et al. 2009). It is a multi-stage systematic process that one must follow to successfully complete the research project and thus increasing his/her knowledge (Saunders et al. 2009). The research design is a crucial element in the research process as it guides the researcher through the stages, in order to enhance the knowledge that already exists on the subject chosen. The fundamental function of the research design is to delineate the means that the researcher will use in order to produce empirical evidence to examine the phenomenon under investigation (Lee and Lings 2008). More specifically, the research design encompasses the general approach that one will follow to answer the research questions and the particular techniques that one will use to collect, analyse and interpret data (Maylor and Blackmon 2005). Consequently, the following chapter will focus on the factors mentioned above, by outlining and justifying the chosen research approach, philosophy, strategy and method. In addition, the methods of data collection and the approach that will be used for the analysis of data will be presented. However, firstly it is important to mention the purpose of the research as it influences all aspects of the research design. The aim of this project is to explore and gain new insights on the perceptions of the public sector5 in Cyprus concerning seasonality as well as to obtain new insights on the motivational factors of the
5

The public sector refers to the individuals working within the government, the policy-makers and individuals who are directly involved with tourism policy-making in Cyprus.

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holidaymakers in Cyprus. Therefore, the purpose of this research is of exploratory nature, as according to Saunders et al. (2009) an exploratory research aids in acquiring new insight and poses questions to evaluate the phenomena under a new light. An exploratory research will assist in clarifying the researchers understanding of the problems discovered. Moreover, following Collis and Hussey (2003) this type of research aims to seek patterns, ideas or hypothesis, since there is only a small number (for example see Sharpley 2001; Sharpley 2002; Ayres 2000) of past studies available in order to refer for information about the phenomena under investigation.

4.2. Research aim and objectives

Aim The aim of this research is: To investigate the extent that Cyprus can become a winter holiday destination in order to address the problem of seasonality. Objectives Three objectives address this aim: To identify the holidaymakers motivational factors for holidaying in Cyprus; To explore the extent that policy-makers are pursuing the repositioning of Cyprus from a summer to a winter destination; To discover if the product is there to enable the repositioning process.

4.3. Methodology
Methodology refers to the theory of the way research should be undertaken, comprising both of the theoretical and philosophical notions that the research is based on and the connotations of these for the methods chosen (Saunders et al.
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2009). Silvernman (1994 cited in Collis and Hussey 2003 p. 55) states that methodologies cannot be true or false, only more or less useful. In other words, different types of methodology can assist in a variety of researches; the methodology that one chooses has to be the most suitable one to enable the researcher to answer the research question in the best way possible. Therefore, below the philosophical aspect of the research will be examined providing the reasoning for each decision.
4.3.1. Research philosophy

Research philosophy describes the philosophies and assumptions concerning the world and the nature of knowledge (Collis and Hussey 2003). In relation to research it essentially refers to the way the research should be completed. In other words research philosophy holds key assumptions with regards to the way an individual views the world (Saunders et al. 2009). The research philosophy is an important part of the research project as the beliefs that one has about the world will influence the way the research will be designed, the way of collection and analysis of data as well as the how the project will be written (Collis and Hussey 2003). Consequently, the philosophy adopted will shape the whole project. Bryman and Bell (2007) identify two branches of philosophy; ontology and epistemology. Ontology refers to the nature of reality, meaning, if the social entities should and can be thought as external to the social actors or whether they can be thought as creations of the perception and actions of social actors (Bryman and Bell 2007). There are two ontological positions identified in the literature objectivism and constructionism. Objectivism refers to the position that social entities exist in reality external to the social actors (Saunders et al. 2009 p.110). In other words, the social phenomena face the social actors as extrinsic factors that cannot reach or influence the social phenomena. Constructionism is the ontological position that social entities
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and their meanings are constantly being created and influenced by social actors through social interaction (Bryman and Bell 2007). Epistemology on the other hand, is concerned with knowledge and what one believes to be acceptable knowledge, what can be considered as proof and what cannot (Jankowicz 2005). Two epistemological positions are distinguished positivism, which advocates working in the tradition of natural sciences in the study of social reality and interpretivism, which advocates that it is important to understand the diversity between people as social actors (Bryman 2004; Saunders et al. 2009). This research project will have an epistemological interpretive approach, where emphasis will be on understanding the human behaviour, from the point of view of the social actors (Bryman and Bell 2007; Saunders et al. 2009). In other words, placing emphasis on the meaning, rather than the measurement, of social phenomena (Collis and Hussey 2003 p.53). The qualitative data that this approach will generate, will allow the researcher to decide on the knowledge that is considered relevant and offer an explanation and understanding relating to the decisions that the social actors, the holidaymakers and the private and public sector individuals make. Moreover, by understanding the behaviour of the social actors, who play a crucial role in investigating the social phenomena, it will reveal the extent that Cyprus, as a destination, is able to be repositioned. This philosophical approach will allow the researcher to view the world from the subjects eyes. In this research project is important to understand the motivations of the holidaymakers and clarify what are their thoughts on the Cypriot tourism product. A positivist approach would only provide a brief description of what the tourists want and what opinion do they have and not the why behind their wants and

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opinions. Hence, by researching the why through following an interpretive approach and understanding how they interpret the phenomena under investigation and by emphasizing on the meaning behind their actions, will the researcher be able to identify the real motivations and perception of the holidaymakers regarding Cyprus. Within the scope of this research project it is also crucial to investigate the opinions of the public sector regarding the tourism industry, as they are responsible for the future direction of tourism in Cyprus. Again, it is key to use this philosophical approach as it is important to understand the diversity between the public sector individuals as people and how they interpret the phenomena. Comprehending the meanings of their behaviour will facilitate in the process of identifying and examining the issues that affect the tourism industry, due to the behaviour of the public sector individuals. This in turn will aid in answering the aim of the study, whether Cyprus is ready to be repositioned. Additionally, an epistemological interpretive approach will not restrict the researcher on deeply examining the phenomena with an open mind on the factors at play. Therefore, the research could conclude on more interesting findings. The above section focused on the philosophy and the way the researcher views the world, however, the following section will emphasise the general research approach that the study will employ.
4.3.2. Research approach

The research approach refers to the general direction that the research project will follow in order to fulfil the research aim and objectives. The research approach will determine the techniques that will be used in the data collection as well as the

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tactic employed for the analysis of the data. Two research approaches have been identified in the literature quantitative and qualitative. A quantitative approach is objective in nature and concentrates on measuring phenomena (Collis and Hussey 2003 p.13). In other words, it encompasses gathering and analysing numerical data and the use of statistical tests,

where the meaning is drawn from numbers. This approach focuses on testing a theory, by incorporating the traditions and norms of a natural scientific concept and more specifically of positivism (Bryman and Bell 2007). Additionally, a quantitative approach typifies the position of a social reality as external and objective (Bryman and Bell 2007). On the other hand, qualitative approach is more subjective in nature and involves examining and reflecting on perceptions (Collis and Hussey 2003 p.13). More specifically, it intends to obtain an understanding of social and human actions, emphasizing on meanings that are articulated through words. Furthermore, a qualitative approach focuses on generating theory, concentrating on the ways that people interpret their social world, and represents the position that social reality is a continually changing and evolving property of individuals creation (Bryman and Bell 2007). Given the interpretive philosophical position and the exploratory nature of the research, a qualitative approach will be followed, as the research is looking to explore and gain new insights on the phenomena under investigation. Additionally, it emphasizes the generation of theory rather than testing hypothesis, by exploring the phenomena through interpreting the behaviour of the social actors. Hence, the focus is to understand the principal beliefs, values and attitudes that motivate human

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actions, as the social reality is a construction of these actions (Baker and Foy 2008). This is accomplished through examining the motivations of the holidaymakers and the reasons behind this behaviour, exploring the why and what, rather how many. Furthermore, the project concentrates on investigating the opinions of the public sector, and again the reasons behind their decisions and thoughts. A qualitative approach will enable the researcher to understand the way that the social actors interpret the world and understand the meaning behind their actions. The qualitative approach is characterised by the richness and depth of the data that is obtained, through exploring the phenomena in the most real way possible (Saunders et al. 2009). In order to achieve gathering information on perceptions and views of the public sector and holidaymakers, individually, through language, the key method identified are in-depth interviews (Easterby-Smith et al. 2008). Therefore, the rich data that a qualitative approach will generate will in turn facilitate the process of gaining new insight and understanding on the motivations of the holidaymakers and the views of the public sector, from their perspective, which will not only offer what their viewpoint is but also why they have this specific viewpoint. Thus, by exploring the reasons behind their point of view, the researcher can identify the real concepts and factors at play, which in turn will assist in answering whether Cyprus can become a winter destination, as the views of the social actors will influence this answer. Conversely, both qualitative and quantitative approaches have been criticised in relation to their application in social research. For instance, qualitative research approaches are characterised too subjective, difficult to replicate and generalise as they rely too much on the researchers own view of what to take into consideration (Bryman and Bell 2007). Additionally, qualitative researches are criticised due to the
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lack of transparency, as often it is not apparent how the analysis is carried out (Bryman and Bell 2007). However, quantitative approaches have also been criticised due to their artificial, precise and accurate approaches to research, as they lose the richness of data and their contextual connotations, hence, contributing to a restricted and less real representation of the phenomena (Collis and Hussey 2003). Nevertheless, choosing a research approach will influence the whole research design, therefore it is important to follow an approach that fits the philosophy of the researcher as well as an approach that will best answer the aim of the research. Accordingly, a qualitative approach is chosen, in turn the rationale that the researcher will use in order to generate good-quality results, will follow in the next section.
4.3.3. Research philosophy approach

The research philosophy refers to the logic of the research, which according to Collis and Hussey (2003 p.11) is whether you are moving from the general to the specific or vice versa. In simpler terms, whether a theory or hypothesis is developed and then tested through empirical evidence or whether the data are gathered first and a theory is developed as an outcome of the data analysis, the former refers to deduction and the latter to induction. The deductive approach is based on scientific principles, and the use of quantitative data (Saunders et al. 2009). Whereas, the inductive approach focuses on understanding the meanings that people attach to social phenomena and facilitated by qualitative data (Saunders et al. 2009). Hence, following from the epistemological interpretive qualitative approach chosen earlier, an inductive logic is more suitable as it will enable the process of answering the objectives of the research project. An inductive approach is the most appropriate as the aim of the research project is not to test hypothesis or theory,

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rather than to gain new knowledge on the phenomena under study, by identifying patterns through the data analysis (Maylor and Blackmon 2005). The flexibility that an inductive approach offers facilitates the researcher in studying the phenomena from a variety of aspects and possibly provide a number of explanations of what is happening (Lancaster 2005). The decision on the research approach is closely linked with the choice on research strategy as some strategies are more suitable than others depending on whether a deductive or inductive logic is followed. The strategy chosen for this specific research project will be discussed in the next section.
4.3.4. Research strategy

The research strategy is a general framework of how the researcher will tackle answering the question(s) posed (Saunders et al. 2009). Taking in to consideration the exploratory purpose of the research project, a case study strategy would facilitate the process. According to Saunders et al. (2009), this type of strategy is mostly associated with exploratory research as it is capable of answering why questions, as well as how and what. Eisenhardt (1989 cited in Collis and Hussey 2003 p.68) argues that a case study is a research study which focuses on understanding the dynamics present within a single setting. In other words, a case study focuses on an intense examination of a phenomenon in one setting, where the researcher intends to offer a detailed clarification of it. Therefore, the qualitative inductive approach that the project has will be facilitated by the case study strategy. Moreover, it is an appropriate strategy as the project does not aim to test a hypothesis but emphasis is put on revealing and clarifying the unique features that the case and its context have (Adams et al. 2007).

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A case study strategy is suitable as in the present research the aim is to examine the phenomenon of tourism in one setting, which is Cyprus. In addition, no hypothesis are tested within this study, as the research is focusing on the tourism industry of Cyprus, where the aim is to find the unique factors and patterns that are present within the industry. Therefore, these patterns will generate theory from the analysis of results. This will be achieved by exploring, analysing and understanding the unique features of the tourism industry in Cyprus, in order to address the aim of the research. Case studies are often chosen to be used with qualitative methods such as participant observation and in-depth interviews (Bryman and Bell 2007). This is due to the fact that they assist the process of producing detailed and rich data that are required for the rigorous investigation of a case. Consequently, the subsequent section will outline the methods of data collection that this research project will employ.

4.4. Methods of data collection

In a few words, data are all facts, opinions and statistics that have been gathered collectively and recorded for analysis (Saunders et al. 2009). On the other hand, methods are the techniques and the processes employed in order to collect and analyse the data (Saunders et al. 2009). Saunders et al. (2009) point out three types of methods that can be used for the data collection and analysis procedures mono method, multiple methods and mixed methods. If only a single technique for data collection is used and a subsequent analysis procedure, it refers to mono method. When more than one qualitative or quantitative techniques and analysis procedures are used, it refers to multiple methods. In the case that both qualitative and

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quantitative data collection techniques and analysis procedures are used in a single project, then is considered as using mixed methods. The current research is employing a mono method collection and analysis procedure, as semi-structure interviews will be used for the collection of data and subsequently grounded theory for analysis. The process employed for data analysis will be discussed in more detail in Section 4.6. Given that a qualitative inductive approach to the project was chosen, qualitative methods will be used for the data collection and analysis process, in order to generate rich data. The nature of data can be divided in primary and secondary; where primary data is original information that has been collected by the researcher (i.e. interviews, questionnaires, observation etc.) and secondary data refer to all other information collected that were the outcome of other peoples primary data collection (i.e. journals, company reports etc.) (Jankowicz 2005).

4.4.1. Secondary data review

Secondary data can be a valuable source of information that enables the researcher to increase the knowledge on the chosen topic by investigating what others have contributed to the subject (Collis and Hussey 2003). Additionally, in the case of seeking information on past decisions, secondary sources can be very useful, as the people that would be working in the organization might not have the relevant knowledge (Maylor and Blackmon 2005). Furthermore, a secondary data review increases the understanding on the topic as well as aids in formulating an argument about the importance of the research project (Bryman and Bell 2007). For this research project both academic and empirical information were utilized.
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The university library, online university databases and the internet were used as the main channels for secondary data resources. Hence, books, journals, online databases, web-sites, government reports and promotional material (i.e. brochures) were used. Although some books may not be up to date, there are still authoritative sources of information (Maylor and Blackmon 2005 p.103). Therefore, in order to collect up to date material, academic journals on-line and off-line were utilized, as academic articles from well known journals are considered a credible resource (Maylor and Blackmon 2005). The government reports and web-sites were located using the Google search engine, which can be a quick way to find the relevant information. Some of the government reports and the promotional material were obtained from the tourism library in Cyprus that the CTO operates, as they were not available on-line. Thus, a variety of sources were exploited in order to ensure the best possible secondary data to be collected and provide a better understanding on the subject matter. A detailed explanation on the primary data collection procedure ensues.
4.4.2. Primary data review

Having chosen an interpretive inductive approach, attention is paid to the quality, depth and richness of the data; hence, qualitative data should be collected (Collis and Hussey 2003). Semi-structured interviews were selected as the most appropriate tool for gathering the primary data. Semi-structure interviews are a valuable tool when seeking rich and detailed data, due to the flexibility that they offer. In this type of interview the interviewee has the opportunity to discuss more openly and the interviewer can discover new issues and therefore, adjust the research questions accordingly to explore the set issues (Bryman 2004). Additionally, the interviewer has the possibility to change the order of the questions, and ask more
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complex questions. Moreover, the researcher has the opportunity to probe answers, where interviewees are required to clarify or build on their responses (Saunders et al. 2009). In order to fulfil the objectives of the research project two different semistructured interview questions were constructed. One set of questions was directed to the holidaymakers and the other one to the industry, the public and private sector, (a detailed explanation on profile of the respondents will be examined in section 4.5.2). Both sets were semi-structured interviews, that is the researcher had a set of questions with somewhat specific topics that needed to be discussed. However, there was no specific order that the questions or the topics were covered, in order to avoid restricting the interviewees thought process, as well as provide the opportunity to the researcher to explore each topic as it arose in discussion. This strategy would also create the possibility of discovering a new topic that the researcher had not thought about, thus enhancing the data. Following the construction of the questions, both set of interviews were piloted in order to ensure that all questions were understood and functioned well, as well as that the tool as a whole operated well (Bryman and Bell 2007). The pilot study was carried out on six people, three holidaymakers and three participants from the private sector who were knowledgeable on the topic under investigation. The interviews were carried out in Cyprus, over twelve days during August, which is one of the busiest months for the Cypriot tourism industry. All interviews were conducted in person and on one-to-one basis. Research participants from the tourism industry in Cyprus were given the option to have the interviews either in English or Greek (which is the native language of Cyprus). This alternative was

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offered in order to make the participants comfortable during the interview. In addition, since the participants were more at ease with the language, they were more open to discuss further on the topics when necessary. Therefore, more precise and detailed answers were obtained. The interviews for the public and private sector participants took place at their offices, after an appointment was made. Information regarding the topics that would be discussed was sent out through e-mail. This was done in order to offer the interviewees an opportunity to collect any relevant material that they thought necessary. In actual fact, six out of eight private and public sector participants provided the researcher with additional information that was only available from their respective offices. For instance, information on conference papers that they had written, the latest statistical information on tourist arrivals, and information on proceedings between stakeholders. Interviews with the holidaymakers took place outside tourist attractions, at the beach as well as one historical and one religious monument, in order to gain information from holidaymakers with different interests. The collection of data from holidaymakers took place in Larnaka and Limassol, two of the most popular areas for tourists. More specifically, the collection of data in Limassol took place outside the Medieval Castle of Limassol, which dates back to 1191, and is situated just above the old harbour. The Castle is one of the most important cultural monuments of the area, and is a permanent feature in the tourist guides with a number of tourists visiting per day, thus, it was only natural to be chosen as a location for data collection. Additionally, Molos beach in Limassol was chosen, as it is one of the busiest beaches in Limassol, which is mostly visited by tourists. Therefore, the researcher believed that it would be easy to obtain the necessary sample.
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Furthermore, in Larnaka, the location chosen was Agios Lazaros (Saint Lazaros) Church, which is one of the most significant Byzantine monuments of Cyprus, a stone church dating back to the 10th century. Again it is a location where a number of tourists visit, thus, increasing the chances of the researcher to obtain the required number of participants. Also, in Larnaka, data collection took place at Phinikoudes beach, which is one of Larnakas busiest beaches. Although, it attracts many locals, it is also a hub for tourists as the area is filled with restaurants, bars and other tourist activities, thus, again creating more opportunities to gain the necessary sample. In order to ensure that all data from the interviews were accurately collected, a voice recorder was used. This is an important factor when using qualitative data, to enable the process for the detailed analysis that is needed in this type of research (Bryman and Bell 2007). Additionally, the researcher will have a record of all answers and can refer to it when necessary. Following the choices on the techniques for data collection, it is important to determine the sample design that the research requires, accordingly, this will be discussed in the subsequent section.

4.5. Sampling design

A sample can be described as a purposeful choice of a number of entities (companies, departments, people), which will generate data from where conclusions will be reached regarding a larger group, that is the population that these entities represent (Jankowicz 2005). The decisions that are required in order to determine the most appropriate sample will be examined below.

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4.5.1. Sampling technique and sample size

As it was mentioned earlier in section 4.4.2., primary data was collected from three different samples the private sector, public sector and holidaymakers. Hence, the sampling techniques and size that were used were different. Since, the research project is concerned with the operational side of the tourism industry in Cyprus, a non-probability sampling technique; judgemental sampling was employed for the private and public sector respondents. Although, non-probability sampling can prevent the researcher to conclude to some general results about the population, it can still generate information-rich data (Maylor and Blackmon 2005; Saunders et al. 2009). This type of sampling technique, which is usually employed with case study research, is particularly beneficial as cases are purposefully selected to offer as much information as possible (Saunders et al. 2009). The logic behind judgmental sampling is that it offers the freedom to choose a sample that is knowledgeable on the topic and will best answer the project objectives. As the research requires the public sector and private sector respondents opinion on the tourism industry in Cyprus, the sample frame was people working within the industry and who have key positions. The sample frame was the CTO, the hotel and tour operators associations. Since, the strategy followed is a case study, eight participants were chosen within the sample frame. Due to the month that the research was conducted, as it is considered a holiday in Cyprus, it was very difficult to arrange interviews based on data saturation. However, the sample size is thought to be representative as the respondents have key roles within the industry and they are the individuals that directly or indirectly are affecting the current and future direction of the tourism industry.
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Convenience sampling, a non-probability sampling technique, was used for the holidaymakers, which refers to choosing cases that are easy to obtain (Saunders et al. 2009). However, the researcher was given the freedom to choose, which participant fitted the profile of respondents. Due to the convenience sampling technique, the sample frame for holidaymakers was that they were holidaying in Cyprus at the time that the research study took place. The sample size for holidaymakers was again influenced by the case study strategy employed; therefore, ten respondents were thought sufficient as the researcher felt that data saturation was reached after the eighth interview was conducted. Having outlined the sample techniques and size used, the subsequent section will focus on the profile of the respondents.
4.5.2. Profile of respondents

Madge (1953 cited in Baker and Foy 2008) identified three types of people that can be chosen for collecting data through interviews, potentate, expert and people. Identifying the correct people for the interviews is key as misidentification may well invalidate the totality of the data obtained (Baker and Foy 2008, p.217). As it was stated earlier, the respondents were chosen from three different samples. For the purpose of this research project, potentates and experts on the tourism industry that hold executive positions were chosen within the CTO, the hotel and tour-operator associations. All public sector individuals are business professionals with similar educational and the same cultural background as all respondents originate from Cyprus. Experts (private sector individuals) were selected as they can assist in the identification of important problems and are in a position to disclose other sources of relevant information on the issues. As well as express a less biased opinion on the industry. More specifically in the case of Cyprus, the potentates
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interviewed from the CTO, were the individuals responsible for the official current strategy of the tourism industry in Cyprus. Thus, a more biased view would be expressed by them, due to their preconceptions about their strategic decisions and internal factors at play. Therefore, although the experts may have had some kind of involvement in the strategies, they would be more inclined to criticise and reveal issues, as they are not officially responsible for the current situation in the tourism industry. Additionally, potentates are the key people to reveal critical information about future plans as they will most probably be the ones that have the authority (Baker and Foy 2008). In other words, all potentates are working within the CTO, where, as mentioned earlier, the strategy and policy of the tourism industry is decided and planned. Therefore, the potentates have significant involvement in the industry, making them critical contributors to the future of the industry in Cyprus, and thus, critical contributors to the research project. As, by understanding how they interpret the world and the reasons behind their actions, this in turn may provide information on potential plans. Since, they will disclose information on what they believe is important regarding the tourism industry. Interviews from experts were important as well, from the hotel and touroperating industry, as although they may not have any authority officially, they still exert unofficial pressure on the authorities in relation to the strategies and policy. Hence, experts offer a good information source to gather high-quality data. By interviewing both types of samples a better understanding was gained from the researcher regarding current issues and future plans within the industry. As both experts and potentates are a valuable source of information, due to the knowledge as well as the influential positions that they occupy. Consequently, a more holistic
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image of the tourism industry, in relation to the present issues and future outlook was achieved. Following the same classification stated earlier, people defined as members of the group of interest (Baker and Foy 2008) - were also interviewed. In this case, people are the holidaymakers in Cyprus. Given that convenience sampling was used to collect data from this sample, there was no strict respondent profile used, apart from being holidaymakers in Cyprus and had been to Cyprus for more than three days. The time frame was used in order to facilitate the data collection and analysis process as tourists would have had time to experience Cyprus at a certain degree. However, the profile of the respondents that the researcher was able to obtain is couples and families, over 25 years-old. From the researchers experience, couples and families were the easier to gather information from, as they were more willing to express their opinions, than younger singles groups. Furthermore, due to the convenience sampling applied, the respondents countries of residence were from the European Union, namely seven respondents from the UK, two respondents from Germany, and one respondent from Malta. The variability in respondents country of residence was due to the fact that UK is the key market for Cyprus; hence, there were a number of tourists originating from this country. Nevertheless, the opinions of the holidaymakers and the public and private sector individuals are central in meeting with the research objectives. All data were collected through semi-structured interviews, however in order to obtain goodquality data all questions must have a clear purpose. Hence, the reasoning for the interview questions design follows.

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4.5.3. Rationale for the interview questions design

In view of the fact that the collection of data aimed at gathering information on the samples opinions, both semi-structured interview set of questions were based on open questions. The rationale behind open questions is to encourage the participants to offer a detailed and evolutionary answer, in order to disclose attitudes and gather the facts (Saunders et al. 2009). However, some questions were specific and closed as the intention was to collect the exact piece of information or verify a fact or view (Saunders et al. 2009). Thus, the rationale behind the interview questions will follow. The questions have been formed and categorized according to the objectives.
Public and private sectors interview questions design

Objective 1- To identify holiday-makers motivational factors for holidaying in Cyprus. In the strategic plan, quality is identified as a key concept in improving the competitive position of Cyprus. How do you as a policy-maker believe that quality will help? The above question is used to discover the extent that the public and private sector understands the international consumption trends. In other words, whether the tourists that are attracted to Cyprus place value on quality and to evaluate the interpretation of the public and private sectors individuals of the word quality, in relation to the tourists interpretation. Do you believe that tourists only visit Cyprus for the sun & sea? Why do you think this is the case?

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The question aims to explore the extent to which the public and private sector individuals have a realistic picture of the motivational factors of the tourists visiting during the winter months. Particularly in relation to the activities offered. Do you believe that prices are cheaper during the winter season? Why do you think this is the case? The question intends to explore the level that public and private sector participants understand the meaning of value for money of the winter tourist, thus, motivating the tourist to visit during the winter months. Objective 2- To explore the extent that policy-makers are pursuing the repositioning of Cyprus from a summer to a winter destination. How do you believe that the reduction of price during the winter season will increase the tourist flow and improve the competitive position of Cyprus? This question aims to explore the public and private sectors opinion on the strategy that most touristss related businesses in Cyprus adopt during the winter season. Also, indirectly to discover how they believe Cyprus compares as a winter destination. How do you perceive the current tourism industry in Cyprus in terms of success? The aim is to examine whether the public and private sector respondents in Cyprus have recognised any issues within the tourism industry. Additionally, to identify the life cycle stage that Cyprus is currently experiencing from the public and private sectors participants point of view. Is there any strategic plan available from the CTO?

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The question is aimed at discovering the level of knowledge that the public and private sector individuals have in relation to the tourism industry. What level of involvement do other major stakeholders, such as hotel associations, employees associations, restaurant associations, tour operators and travel agents association have in the decision processes in relation to the tourism policies and strategies determined in Cyprus? And why this is the case? The question aims to assess whether the relevant parties in the tourism industry in Cyprus - such as accommodation and entertainment operators, tour operators and the government- have the same level of awareness in relation to the strategies pursued by the CTO. In addition, this question will also reveal the communication level between all relevant parties. Moreover, gain an insight of their opinions and the degree of commitment that they have on the strategies declared by the CTO. What are the objectives of the strategic plan? This question aims to ascertain the knowledge of all relevant stakeholders in relation with the strategies that the CTO pursues, by confirming a fact. Do you believe that the objectives of the strategic plan have been met? Why do you believe they have/ have not been met? The intention of this question is to obtain an insight into the opinions of the public and private sectors individuals on the reasons that the current strategy has not been or has been successful. Additionally, gain an opportunity to identify new issues regarding the collaboration of all stakeholders (private sector, government and local people).

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Seasonality has been identified as a problem in the strategic plan. Are there any policies to address it? Do you as a policy-maker believe it is an important issue? The question explores whether the public and private sector individuals truly

believe that seasonality is an issue and determining the knowledge that they have on the strategies to tackle seasonality. Consequently, demonstrating the level of importance that they personally attribute to seasonality. Additionally, the extent that they feel that the policies are sufficient, will illustrate the degree that they are truly pursuing eliminating seasonality in Cyprus. What do you think Cyprus needs to focus on to deal with seasonality e.g. product, marketing, target market? This question is used to gain an insight into the future strategies that the public sector is planning in order to tackle seasonality, as well as the opinion of the private sector who indirectly also influence future strategies. This question could also be useful in the evaluation of the operations of the public sector individuals. How would eliminating seasonality affect the tourism industry? And why do you believe this? This is a general question exploring the opinion of the public and private sectors participants in relation to the effect that seasonality has on the industry; aiming to discover general issues that Cyprus faces due to seasonality. Also, is indirectly related to objective 3 as the public and private sector respondents will disclose information on how the elimination of seasonality will affect the product offered to the tourists. Moreover, the question aims to reveal whether they are aware and acknowledge the issues that seasonality creates for the tourism industry.

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Therefore, revealing if they have a realistic picture of the issues, by comparing them with the issues identified in the literature by numerous academics. Objective 3- To discover if the product is there to enable the repositioning process. Is there a carrying capacity problem in Cyprus? Why do you think there is/not a problem? This question intents to explore the opinions of the public and private sectors individuals, on whether Cyprus has the capacity to successfully accommodate the amount of tourists that could potentially visit during the winter months. Whilst preventing any deterioration to the environment and protecting its local residents. Do you think that the current tourism development around the marina in Limassol and Larnaka, e.g. the new golf courses near the Larnaka area, will add to the problem of carrying capacity? How and why do you think they will or not add? The above question examines the views of the public and private sectors individuals on carrying capacity. However, focusing more on the tourism development aspect that can affect the carrying capacity of Cyprus. Additionally, the question will explore the emphasis that they place on creating the best possible tourist product. How do you believe that the current tourism development will affect the water resources of Cyprus? Given that water is an important resource that Cyprus is lacking, this question addresses one aspect of sustainability that is identified as a key concept in the literature. It aims to discover how the public and private sector individuals interpret sustainability in Cyprus and their view on what is a sustainable product.
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How do you perceive the product of Cyprus in terms of quality? And why? This question intents to examine whether the public and private sector

individuals believe that Cyprus offers a quality tourist product, thus, enabling the researcher to discover key problems with the tourist product. What does the term quality mean for you in relation to the tourism product? This question aims to discover how the public and private sector individuals interpret quality and determine whether their interpretation can enhance the tourism product offered and fulfil the tourists demands. What issues, if any, need to be addressed in order to offer the best possible tourism product? The above question is important in identifying the issues that prevent Cyprus offering the best possible product. Also, indirectly, answering objective 3 in determining whether Cyprus has the tourist product available for the repositioning process. Cyprus is now promoting special interest tourism as an alternative to mass tourism. What are your thoughts on Cyprus being able to provide this new type of tourism? Is the infrastructure available? Does Cyprus need any new infrastructure? This questions aim is to explore the extent that the current product of Cyprus can enable the repositioning process and identify any issues that need to be addressed regarding the infrastructure. Are there any economical, social and environmental issues that need to be addressed in Cyprus in relation to tourism? Why do you think these issues exist/not exist?

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The above question is used to determine the strength of the tourism product that Cyprus offers, in relation to the sustainability of the island. Additionally, indirectly to determine the reasons, which create these issues. How would eliminating seasonality affect the economical, social and environmental aspects of Cyprus? And why do you believe this? This question addresses the three aspects of the sustainability of the tourism product, in relation to the spatial concentration that is apparent during the winter months. It offers an insight of the opinions of the public and private sectors individuals on decreasing the impacts of seasonality, which could offer insiders knowledge on future strategies. Holidaymakers interview questions design Objective 1 - To identify holiday-makers motivational factors for holidaying in Cyprus. How come you decided to visit Cyprus? This question explicitly answers objective 1 as it investigates the motivational factors of the tourists for choosing Cyprus to holiday. What was the most important factor that made you choose Cyprus as a destination? And why? The question aims to discover the most important influencing factor of the summer tourist, in relation to Cromptons (1979) the push and pull factors of the summer tourist. What psychological benefit did you expect to gain from your holiday in Cyprus? And Why?

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This question intents to discover the psychological benefits that tourists have gained from Cyprus, as according to the new tourist concept, travellers are now looking for unique experiences. Objective 2- To explore the extent that policy-makers are pursuing the repositioning of Cyprus from a summer to a winter destination. During your search for information regarding Cyprus, how was Cyprus portrayed? And why? This question directly relates to objective 2, seeking to find out the extent that the public sector is pursuing the repositioning of Cyprus, from the tourist point of view. Would you consider choosing Cyprus as a winter destination? And why? This question explicitly examines the extent that the public sector is actively pursuing the repositioning process, from the tourist point of view. Objective 3- To discover if the product is there to enable the repositioning process. How would you describe your experience in Cyprus? And why? This question is used to gain an insight into the tourists satisfaction level with the current tourist product offered. The researcher believes that it will aid in identifying the factors that contribute to the satisfaction of the tourist. Therefore, enable the researcher to determine if the factors that need to be addressed for the repositioning process. What do you feel is missing from Cyprus as a destination regarding its infrastructure and activities?

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The purpose of this question is to explore the issues with the Cypriot tourism product from the tourist point of view; hence, gaining a more complete picture about the activities and infrastructure available. What type of activities would you expect from Cyprus if you would visit during the winter months for leisure/business? And why? The question above enables the identification of the activities that the winter tourist demands, and hence, comparing them to the Cypriot tourism product. How would eco-friendly activities influence your decision to visit Cyprus? This question aims to reveal whether eco-tourism can be used to influence the destination choice and ultimately determining if Cyprus can offer this type of tourism product. How would activities, such as events, sport, culture, influence your decision in choosing Cyprus? This question focuses on the pull factors of the tourists, and whether special interest tourism can be utilised to influence destination choice and additionally, establishing whether Cyprus can offer this type of tourism. Although, a number of questions were asked to the interviewees, the tool for the data collection was semi-structure interviews. Since, the researcher did have the freedom to explore other issues that arose during discussion. Another important issue during the data collection process is the one of ethics, which needs to be taken into consideration. Therefore, an examination on ethics will ensue.
4.5.4. Ethics

In the context of research, ethics concerns the appropriateness of the researchers conduct regarding the rights of the participants of the research project or
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the people that are affected by it (Saunders et al. 2009). Ethical conduct should be exercised throughout the data collection process, the analysis stage and the manner that the results are reported, as acting unethically will undeniably adversely influence the research (Maylor and Blackmon 2005). For interviews in particular, ethical means should be used on the way the researcher gains access and consent and maintains confidentiality. Also, ethical means should be used in the manner the data are collected, analysed and reported. Consequently, all the public and private sector participants were contacted prior to the research. The researcher informed the interviewees regarding the topic under investigation, as well as provided them with a list of themes that would be covered. Such action can improve the ethical aspect of the research project and as a result, facilitate the process of gaining consent from the interviewee (Saunders et al. 2009). All participants were made aware of their right to decline taking part in the research at any time. Additionally, the researcher assured the participants that confidentiality and anonymity would be kept and that they retained the right to refuse to answer any question. Consent was taken in order to record the interviews. From the researchers experience it was apparent that once participants were reminded and assured that answers were anonymous and confidential, at the beginning of the interview, they felt more relaxed. Due to the sampling method used for the holidaymakers, no prior contact was possible. However, the researcher did give some information on the nature of the research to the participants, as well as informed on their right to decline to take part. Anonymity and confidentiality were assured and consent to record the interviews

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was obtained. Finally, since the data were gathered in an objective manner, the analysis and reporting will not be misinterpreted or selective, in order to avoid distorting the accurate results of the study. Consequently the following section will present the data analysis process.

4.6. Analysis of data

The methodological approach that was presented above concludes that qualitative data are the most suitable, in order to meet the objectives. Miles (1979 cited in Bryman and Bell 2007 p.579) has characterized qualitative data as an attractive nuisance. Their characteristics of fullness and richness make them attractive to researchers, but it is a complex procedure in finding an analytic method through that richness (Bryman and Bell 2007). There are a number of ways to analyse data, however, it is essential that the technique used is consistent with the methodological approach of the research design, to generate good-quality data (Easterby-Smith et al. 2008). Grounded theory has been identified as an inductively analytical process that aims to clarify or generate a theory based on the principal theme that derives from the data (Saunders et al. 2009). Grounded theory is employed as there is no specific predetermined theoretical framework; hence, this process is especially useful (Collis and Hussey 2003).
4.6.1. Analysis process

Glaser and Strauss (1967) state that grounded theory follows a systematic set of process, to build a grounded theory through an inductive approach about a social phenomenon. They continue to point out that the results of the research represent a theoretical development of the reality under study. The analytical process employs

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coding strategies, which is the process of breaking down suitable data, such as interviews, into separate units of meaning, which are labelled to create concepts (Goulding 2002). The process involves three kinds of coding: open, axial and selective (Saunders et al. 2009).
First stage of analysis - Open coding

Firstly, before continuing with the open coding, all interviews recorded were transcribed. As by transcribing interviews it assists to remedy the natural limitations of the researchers memory and result in a more accurate account of the issues that derive from the interviews. Additionally, it allows the researcher to examine the statements of the respondents more thoroughly (Bryman and Bell 2007). Apart from one interview from a private sector participant that was done in English, all other interviews with the public/private sector were done in Greek. Accordingly the interviews were transcribed in Greek, in order to facilitate the researcher. Once transcribing was completed open coding was carried out, which involves the identification, analysis and classification of the data collected (Collis and Hussey 2003). This stage relates to early concept development as the researcher is trying to discover the units of information that connect with the literature or an example of a broader phenomenon (Goulding 2002). At this point, all data was disaggregated and codes were identified. From the interviews that were in Greek the researcher only translated the codes identified into English, in order to facilitate the analysis process. The translation into English was done as closely as possible to the original meaning of the statements. All data were coded together, as the questions asked to all respondents related to all objectives.

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All codes were chosen based on their direct relevance to the research, and they take the form of a word, a sentence, or a small paragraph. Once the codes were identified, questions such as who, where, what, how and so forth, were asked, in order to assist in opening up the data and think of possible similarities or differences between phenomena. Hence, codes identified were later placed into separate units of information and a conceptual label was provided for each unit. This made the data more identifiable and more manageable. An example of a coded interview from a tourist participant is presented in Table 1 below, codes and concepts are emphasized in italics. (See appendix I1, for an example of a coded interview from a private sector participant).

Table 1 Example of a coded interview

Interview- Tourist 1. 2. 3. How come you decided to visit Cyprus? We have been to Cyprus before. Why do you like Cyprus so much? First of all its the place where we met and we fell in love, so now once we got married we decided to come again. So the most important factor that made you visit again is the emotional connection that you have with the island? Yes, but also we enjoy our stay here as well, people are very friendly [code: people are very friendly, concept: current tourism product], its really tourist orientated [code: tourist orientated, concept: current tourism product]. How would you describe your experience in Cyprus? And why? Our experience has been wonderful until now [code: our experience has been wonderful until now, concept: experience of tourists]. Everything is great, people are friendly, the hotel we are staying is beautiful, the food is lovely, the whole experience has been wonderful. During your search for information regarding Cyprus, how was Cyprus portrayed? And why? For us Cyprus was somewhere in the middle [code: For us Cyprus was somewhere in the middle, concept: pull factors], she comes from Russia I come from Malta and we decided to meet in Cyprus as it was somewhere in the middle. But also when we were researching the first time, we were really interested in cultural things as well [code: we were really interested in cultural things as well, concept: pull factors], because I come from the south and there is the Black Sea and a lot of swimming and sun and in Malta where we live now there is a lot of swimming and sun as well so we are definitely after cultural things something that we cannot see there [code: cultural things something that we cannot see there, concept: push factors]. What psychological benefit did you expect to gain from your holiday in Cyprus? (educational, cultural, prestige, relaxation) It was relaxation [code: relaxation, concept: push factors] mostly, after a difficult year with work we needed a place to relax. Would you consider choosing Cyprus as a winter destination? And why? We have been in winter the first time that visited Cyprus

4.

5.

6. 7.

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Interview- Tourist cont. 8. How was your experience? It was marvellous. It was February and the weather was mostly sunny apart from two days I think with rain, and we were still able to see some nice places and still we werent able to see everything and we visited again [code: still we werent able to see everything and we visited again, concept: current tourism product] 9. What type of activities would you expect from Cyprus if you would visit during the winter months for leisure/business? And why? We enjoyed excursions around the island [code: excursions around the island, concept: winter activities] we went to Kykkos monastery, Troodos mountains and other monasteries [code: Troodos mountains and other monasteries, winter activities], we went donkey riding that was fun, otherwise we just travelled around the island. We stayed in Larnaka and we really enjoyed exploring the old town on our own[code: exploring the old town on our own, concept: winter activities]. Although organised excursions can be nice, on our own it was nice as well. You have the time to see everything and spend how long you wish to spend for each place. 10. How would activities such as events, sport, culture, influence your decision in choosing Cyprus?We like Cyprus as it is, this time we came for two weeks were quite happy with what Cyprus offers[code: We like Cyprus as it is, this time we came for two weeks were quite happy with what Cyprus offers, concept: experience of tourists]. 11. How would eco-friendly activities influence your decision to visit Cyprus? Yes it would, we would be quite interested in taking part in eco-friendly activities [code: we would be quite interested in taking part in eco-friendly activities, concept: SIP influence on destination choice] such as walking in the mountains or visiting the rural areas of Cyprus as we have already done in our previous trip. We walked around the Troodos mountain on the trails it was really nice [code: we walked around the Troodos mountain on the trails it was really nice, concepts: winter activities]. 12. What do you feel is missing from Cyprus as a destination regarding its infrastructure and activities? Nothing, I mean this time we have a hired car with a GPS [code: I mean this time we have a hired car with a GPS, concept: current tourism infrastructure problems], so we can really see the whole island. On previous visits we were with the travel agency a lot they were taking us so it was a different story. What would be useful for tourists is a specific book of some sort indicating to tourists the specific places that would be interesting to visit, it would be easier for the tourists.[ code: What would be useful for tourists is a specific book of some sort indicating to tourists the specific places that would be interesting to visit, it would be easier for the tourist, concept: current tourism product problems.] More easy, handy information on Cyprus[code: more easy, handy information on Cyprus, concept: current tourism product problems] for example if you would like to visit beaches a list of all the beaches on each district and how to get there would be very useful.

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The conceptual units identified were then arranged into a pattern of concepts and classified, along with their characteristics and attributes. In order to achieve this, different units of information were categorised into definite ideas (concepts), in turn similar concepts were arranged together into a category. In turn, three categories were discovered: stakeholders attitude, tourism strategy and tourists motivational factors. All categories are interrelated, as all are important factors to take into consideration in order to develop winter tourism in Cyprus. These categories were chosen by taking into account the literature reviewed, the content of the conceptfs, as well as the researchers scholarly knowledge. A detailed representation of the concepts and codes identified can be found in the appendices (See appendix I2). All concepts classified in categories can be found in the appendices (See appendix I3).
Second stage of analysis Axial coding

Once, the codes, concepts and categories were detected axial coding took place, which entailed seeking relationships between the categories and sub-categories of data that have emerged from open coding (Saunders et al. 2009). Axial coding required the researcher to link each category with its concepts in relation to their dynamic interrelationships, by reorganizing and rebuilding the data into various patterns. Moreover, the prepositions were developed based on the times of repetition by the interviewees, uniqueness and pertinence with the research and literature. According to Goulding (2002), these interrelationships are the foundation for the formulation of theory. In order to determine the relationships within the categories and its concepts, following with the conceptual meaning of each category two of the objectives were dealt with together. As the researcher felt that the objectives were closely related and interconnected, in terms of the content of the categories identified.
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The objectives which were dealt together were the second objective: exploring the extent that policy-makers are pursuing the repositioning of Cyprus from a summer to a winter destination and the third objective to discover if the product is there to enable the respositioning process. These objectives were dealt with under the two categories of stakeholders attitude and tourism strategy. Whereas, the category of tourists motivational factors category, explicitly addressed the first objective of identifying holidaymakers motivational factors for holidaying in Cyprus. The prepositions derived from the constant comparison with the literature reviewed and from the researchers own academic knowledge and experience. The prepositions discovered are presented below (See Table 2).
Table 2 Axial Coding

Categories

Stakeholders' attitudes

Tourism strategy

Prepositions

Insufficient internal communication, coordination and cooperation between the public and private sector can be detrimental to the successful development of winter tourism. Insufficient awareness among the public/private sector and the local communities as a detrimental factor to the product diversification.

Dependencies of the industry on tour operators and air travel companies are detrimental in addressing seasonality.

Tourists motivational factors Special Interest Products (SIP) as a factor for choosing Cyprus as a winter destination.

Special Interest Tourism (SIT) and alternative forms of tourism development as a factor in tackling seasonality. The image of Cyprus as a sun and sea destination is perceived as a hindrance in the diversification process. Impacts of tourism as a result of seasonality.

Push and pull factors and their role in the holiday decision-making process.

More specifically, the category of tourists motivational factors, presented in table 1, demonstrates the two prepositions that were developed to explicitly address

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the first objective of identifying holidaymakers motivational factors for holidaying in Cyprus: Special Interest Products (SIP) as a factor for choosing Cyprus as a winter destination; Push and pull factors and their role in the holiday decision-making process. Six prepositions were developed to tackle the second and third objective, namely exploring the extent that policy-makers are pursuing the repositioning of Cyprus from a summer to a winter destination, and to discover if the product is there to enable the repositioning process, which were developed under the categories of stakeholders attitude and tourism strategy (See Table 1). The prepositions are: Insufficient internal communication, coordination and cooperation between the public and private sector can be detrimental to the successful development of winter tourism; Dependencies of the industry on tour operators and air travel companies are detrimental in addressing seasonality; Insufficient awareness among the public/private sector and the local communities as a detrimental factor to the product diversification; Special Interest Tourism (SIT) and alternative forms of tourism development as a factor in tackling seasonality; Impact of tourism as a result of seasonality; The image of Cyprus as a sun and sea destination is perceived as a hindrance in the diversification process.
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Although the analysis process could have been completed at the axial stage, the aim of this research is to develop a theoretical framework in order to answer the aim of the research project. Hence, the third stage of analysis, selective coding, follows.
Third stage of analysis Selective coding

Finally, selective coding was performed, which entailed identifying the central category, in order to connect the other categories with it with the aim to integrate the research and build a grounded theory (Saunders et al. 2009). Therefore, in this stage a story line was developed that connected all categories together and narrated all the main phenomena that were apparent in the research project. Hence, the story revealed that Cyprus has the necessary geographical characteristics to diminish seasonality by diversifying its product and developing winter tourism. However, the dependency of the industry on the small number of tour operators, air travel companies and the one-dimensional tourism product of the sunand-sea prevent the development of winter tourism. Additionally, government rigidity, extensive bureaucracy and insufficient coordination within governmental departments prolong the development of the product needed. Moreover,

misinterpretation of tourism practice from governmental bodies, as well as insufficient cooperation, coordination and communication among the industry stakeholders has prevented the development of the product needed in addressing the current tourists' demands and tackling seasonality. The story line that derived from the research is also the theory developed which explicitly answers the aim of the research project. However, for any research to be beneficial to the researcher and the academic community, good-quality findings

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have to be offered. Thus, the following section will examine how the quality of the findings was maintained.
4.6.2. Validity and reliability of data

In order to generate credible findings, it is important for the research design to be valid and reliable. According to Maylor and Blackmon (2005), validity relates to the extent that the researcher has captured the fundamental truth of the phenomenon under study, while reliability refers to the extent that the findings of the research project are repeatable (Bryman and Bell 2007). The validity and reliability of the data are crucial criteria in research, as it does not only offer confidence in the data gathered, but also trust in the successful practical application and utilization of the findings in the relating subject (Riege 2003). Hence, achieving validity and reliability are vital elements of any rigorous research project, and should be considered throughout the research design and methods of data collection. Therefore, in the following sections the validity and reliability of the data will be examined.
Validity of the data

As mentioned earlier, validity refers to the extent that the findings of the research truthfully reflect the social phenomena to which it is concerned. According to Kirk and Miller (1986 cited in Bryman and Bell 2007) validity in qualitative research refers to both external validity and internal validity. Internal validity refers to whether or not there is a good relationship between the observations made by the researcher and the theoretical concepts they construct (Bryman and Bell 2007). Whereas, external validity refers to the extent that the results of the research can be generalized outside the focal study (Easterby-Smith 2008).

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According to Seliger and Shohamy (2001), the variability of the respondents can influence the internal validity of the research, as it is important to choose a representative sample of the population to be able to generalize the research to the relevant population. In the present research, three types of population were chosen, namely, individuals from the public sector, the private sector and holidaymakers. Public/private sector participants were chosen due to their extensive knowledge on the subject, and their positions as authoritative figures and people that represent associations within the tourism industry. Furthermore, public sector respondents from all towns of the area were interviewed in order to create a more holistic picture of the tourism industry in Cyprus. Additionally, for the holidaymakers a convenience sampling method was used, with the sample being taken from different locations, hence promoting the variability of the respondents. All above actions were taken to ensure that the population would be the most representative, hence, ensuring representativeness of the results in the Cypriot tourism sector. Moreover, the author was born and raised in Cyprus and worked in the Cypriot tourism industry for a period of two years. This allowed the researcher to partake in the social life of the population under investigation, hence, enhancing the extent of congruence between the concepts and observations, thus, increasing internal validity (Bryman and Bell 2007). The number of respondents has also been identified as an important factor of internal validity by Seliger and Shohamy (2001), as a small sample can increase bias due to the maximisation of individual variability. However, the number of respondents is thought to be sufficient, due to the case study strategy that is employed. Since, the aim of the research is to create an intensive examination of a single case, which can then be used for a theoretical analysis (Bryman and Bell
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2007). Therefore, the generation of rich data is crucial for the present research, since validity is not measured by the size of the sample, but with the collection and analysis skills of the researcher (Saunders et al. 2009). The data collection process took place over twelve days, which the researcher believes that it was enough time to gather the relevant data due to the method chosen. Stone (1984 cited in Baker and Foy 2008) argues that less structured interviews are more valid, as the interviewee has more liberty to exactly express their perceptions and opinions about the phenomenon under investigation. Hence, the semi-structured interviews used for this particular topic can be considered high in internal validity, as the interviewee and the researcher had the freedom to explore a variety of issues in the time allocated. Moreover, history, attrition and maturation have been highlighted as factors that can invalidate the data (Seliger and Shohamy 2001). Following Seliger and Shohamy (2001) history refers to the potential negative influence that the passage of time can have on the research, whereas, attrition refers to any changes that may occur to the composition of the sample over time. Maturation refers to any particular environmental event that over time may alter the characteristics of the respondents (Baker and Foy 2008). All these factors are not thought to influence the researchs internal validity due to the short period of time that has passed from the data collection to the analysis stage. In actual fact the four month period is not considered a long time for any changes to occur, since the tourism environment has been relatively stable in Cyprus for the past three years. Additionally, all public sector participants hold key positions and the working environment in Cyprus and especially in semi-governmental

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organisations is fairly secure. The holidaymakers are travellers, and like most people will not stop travelling abroad over time, hence, they will always be thought as holidaymakers. Consequently, due to the above arguments, the data are thought to be high in internal validity and illustrative to the opinions of the sample. As mentioned earlier external validity relates to the extent that the findings can apply across social settings, nevertheless, this is a challenge for qualitative researchers, and especially when employing case studies due to the small sample used (Bryman and Bell 2007). Thus, it is impossible to claim that a case study can identify typical cases and be generalised across different social contexts. As it was mentioned throughout the research design, the present project is focusing on the economically developed, mature mass destination islands of the Mediterranean, and in particular Cyprus. Thus, the case study research was chosen as all data were gathered in Cyprus. This limits the scope and boundaries of the research project, and as such reducing the external validity of the findings. However, the indepth analysis of a single case that the researcher focuses on can create to an extent a theoretical generalisability (Bryman and Bell 2007). In particular, using grounded theory for the analysis process of the data will create concepts and encourage abstract propositions to be generated. Hence, in turn the abstract hypothesis may be tested in other settings to prove generalisability. Furthermore, during the analysis process all data were constantly compared and contrasted with the extensive literature review in order to delineate contributions and generalise. However, always within the scope and boundaries of the research project, consequently, increasing the external validity of the research findings (Riege 2003). All aspects presented above influence the validity of the findings, and in turn

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the quality of the data. Still, one more aspect that may impact the quality of the findings is reliability of the data, which will be examined below.
Reliability of the data

Reliability offers information on the consistency and accuracy of the data collection process, in order for the research to be replicated and conclude in the same findings (Seliger and Shohamy 2001). However, Saunders et al. (2009) argue that in an interpretive research is not the intention for the research to be repeated, since the findings captured the reality at the time the data were gathered, under circumstances that may be subject to change. Conversely, it is important that other researchers could make similar observations and interpretations, on separate occasions (Collis and Hussey 2003). Therefore, when applying reliability in a qualitative research external and internal elements should be taken into consideration. External reliability refers to the extent that the study is precise in order to replicate, whereas internal reliability concerns whether or not, another researcher will agree on the observations and derive the same results (Bryman and Bell 2007). According to Silverman (2006) inter-rater reliability and low-inference descriptor are used to measure the reliability of a qualitative study. An examination on external and internal reliability ensues. In order to promote external reliability the pre-testing of interviews is crucial (Silverman 2006). Hence, in the present research a pilot study was undertaken for both sets of interview questions, in order to test the tool itself, the structure and approach to questioning. In addition, to ensure that all respondents understood the questions set in the same way, therefore reducing bias. The interviews were tested on six participants that fitted the profile of the respondents - particularly for the set of

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questions concerning the public/private sector, expert knowledge was an important factor. The pilot study concluded in minor changes for the interview questions, such as rephrasing three questions to clarify them, as well as adding one question for the public/private sector questions. Additionally, low-inference descriptors are used as a criterion for external validity, meaning the use of description phrased very closely to respondents words as well the notes of the researcher. In order to meet this criterion all interviews were recorded, and carefully transcribed, using the exact words expressed by the respondents, as soon as possible following interviews. Small notes were also written after each interview, regarding the immediate impression that the researcher got about how well the interview went, in order to promote consistency within the process. Furthermore, the interview questions were mainly open questions, as Easterby-Smith et al. (2008) highlight that open questions aid in avoiding bias, as they do not lead the respondent. Therefore, increase the reliability of research findings. Internal reliability is measured through inter-rated reliability, in other words whether other researchers agree on the same concepts and observations (Silverman 2006). Hence, in the present research, throughout the research design, data collection and analysis process there was constant comparison to the existing literature. In order to ensure that similar studies concluded to similar findings, promoting inter-rated reliability. In addition, throughout the gathering of data and analysis procedure, the researcher had continuous feedback from her supervisor, again increasing the reliability of the findings. Finally, all actions presented in the above section, lessen the scope of bias, as well as increase the validity and reliability of the findings, hence, generating good-quality results.
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4.6.3. Reflexivity

Reflexivity refers to the notion that researchers should be reflective about the connotations of their methods, biases, values and decisions for the knowledge of the social reality that they create (Bryman and Bell 2007). Since, all researchers carry cultural baggage, personal idiosyncracies and implicit assumptions about the way they view the word (Bryman and Bell 2007 p.712). Personal reflexivity

encompasses reflecting on how the researchers values, experiences, interests, beliefs, political commitments, wider aims in life and social identities have influenced the research process (Willig 2001 p.10). Additionally, it entails reflecting on the way the research process may have influenced and perhaps changed the researcher, as an individual and as a researcher (Willig 2001). Growing up in Cyprus, a close-knit society, in the 1990s where the economic development of Cyprus had a climatic growth, mainly due to tourism, has influenced my development as an individual and has shaped my social identity. Relatives and especially family played a very influential role in my growth as an individual. And it is not surprising for children to follow in their parents footsteps regarding their carrier choices. Given that tourism is one of the main industries in Cyprus, my parents were involved in the tourism business as well. It is not uncommon for children to be involved in the family businesses from a young age, hence, due to my familys involvement my interest in tourism started at an early age. Growing up, constantly surrounded by individuals from different cultural backgrounds, speaking different languages was fascinating for me. I enjoyed the continuous contact with different people that the tourism industry offered. In turn, this led me in choosing my undergraduate degree in Hospitality Management. However, during my studies I was more interested in tourism as a whole rather than a
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specific sector. This was intensified through discussions on tourism with individuals that held key positions in the industry, which, in turn made me more aware about the issues within the industry. Travel and tourism contributes 18.3% to the GDP of Cyprus, and the economic development of Cyprus at a certain degree depends on the tourism industry. However, Cypriot media reported the decline of tourism rather than the growth, which resulted in many tourism related businesses closing-down. This was a fact that I did not understand, as Cyprus is well equipped to become a successful destination. This decline also affected my familys business; in turn it stimulated me to research the subject further, in an attempt to assist in my familys business operation as well. Therefore, a question in my mind was formed why Cyprus was not able to become a sustainable tourism destination, which operated throughout the year? Reading tourism news on the industry, many experts identified that Cyprus needs to develop winter tourism in order to prevent the declining trend. However, no real effort was apparent from the industry in turning their attention to winter tourism as well as summer tourism. This motivated me in investigating the subject further. My research revealed the limited number of researches referring to Cypriot tourism, and the lack of any study explicitly referring to seasonality in Cyprus. This encouraged me to research the subject further and resulted in my decision on the topic on my Masters research project. Although I was always interested and involved, through the family business, in the tourism industry in Cyprus, I do not believe that it will affect my objectivity on the phenomenon. This is because, since I left Cyprus to continue my education, my

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involvement with the industry has been more as an observer, rather than a stakeholder. However, my earlier connection with the industry will assist in integrating myself in the social world of the subjects as well as aid in understanding the social reality through the subjects perspective. Thus, this will be an advantage and not a restriction in addressing the topic in an objective manner, resulting in generating findings that will assist the successful development of tourism in Cyprus. Finally, the present research will provide me with the necessary knowledge, regarding the current issues in the industry, and is an additional step towards pursing a carrier in the area of tourism in Cyprus.

4.7. Conclusion
In conclusion, the exploration of the research design has presented key factors that will affect the outcomes of the research. Due to the exploratory purpose of the research, a qualitative research approach will be adopted, since the project encompasses a more subjective nature to social research, by examining and understanding the perceptions and actions of the social actors. Additionally, an epistemological interpretive philosophical approach has been adopted, as the aim is to understand the phenomena from the point of view of the social actors. Consequently, since the research has no predetermined theory to test, an inductive logic is utilized to gain new insight into the phenomena under investigation, from many aspects. Overall, the research project has adopted a qualitative interpretive inductive approach to social research. A case study strategy is followed as the aim is to comprehend the dynamics and interrelationships within a single setting. Qualitative data have been identified as the most appropriate to enable the researcher to meet the objectives, due to the richness and detail that they offer. In addition, mono method approach was employed
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to both collect and analyse the data. Also both secondary and primary data were utilized, to enhance the credibility of the research findings. For the secondary research the university library, online databases and the internet were the main sources of information, whereas, the primary research employed semi-structure interviews, to facilitate the data collection process. In order to meet the research objectives, three different samples were constructed; the public and private sector and holidaymakers. Six public sector and two private sector participants were interviewed by applying judgemental sampling in key positions within the tourism industry. Additionally, ten holidaymakers were chosen by employing convenience sampling. All types of samples are crucial in enhancing the researchers knowledge to fulfil the objectives set. Moreover, following the methodological assumptions of the research, grounded theory will be applied to analyse the data obtained. Grounded theory will enable the process of disaggregating the data in order to develop patterns and relationships for the development of a theoretical framework. Accordingly, the next chapter will present the analysis of the data and consequently the process of development of the theoretical framework.

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5. RESEARCH FINDINGS & ANALYSIS

5.1. Introduction
The research project has employed grounded theory as the analytical procedure, an inductive approach for analysing qualitative data. In order to generate rich qualitative data, interviews were used as the data collection tool. Grounded theory consists of three stages of analysis, namely open coding, axial coding and selective coding. Through these stages categories were produced and prepositions for each category were induced by the data. As the above chapter presented, eight prepositions were induced from the data. In particular, the first category of tourists motivational factors explicitly addresses the first objective of the research project. To be precise, the first objective aims to identify the holidaymakers motivational factors for holidaying in Cyprus. On the other hand, the other two categories of stakeholders attitudes and tourism strategy deal with the last two objectives, regarding the extent that policymakers are pursuing the repositioning of Cyprus from a summer to a winter destination and to discover if the product is there to enable the repositioning process. In this research project policy-makers are defined as the individuals directly involved with decisions on the tourism policy in Cyprus, namely the government and the CTO, and will be referred to as the public sector. The prepositions developed under the stakeholders attitudes category are: insufficient internal communication, coordination and cooperation between the public and private sector can be detrimental to the successful development of winter tourism; and insufficient awareness among the public/private sector and the local communities as a detrimental factor to the product diversification. The prepositions
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developed under tourism strategy are: dependencies of the industry on tour operators and air travel companies are detrimental in addressing seasonality; special interest tourism (SIT) and alternative forms of tourism development as a factor in tackling seasonality; the image of Cyprus as a sun and sea destination is perceived as a hindrance in the diversification process; and impact of tourism as a result of seasonality. Lastly, two prepositions were developed under the category tourists motivational factors: special interest products (SIP) as a factor for choosing Cyprus as a winter destination; and push and pull factors and their role in the holiday decision-making process. It is important to note that throughout the analysis chapter, special interest products (SIP) refer to products that are classified both under SIT as well as alternative forms of tourism. This is done in order to simplify the analysis process. The analysis process has revealed that Cyprus does have all the geographical characteristics for becoming a winter holiday destination, thus tackling the problem of seasonality. However, in order for Cyprus to reposition from a summer to winter destination some issues still exist that need to be taken into account for the success of the diversification process. Thus, the prepositions that will be examined below will look at these issues in more detail. Additionally, the findings will be compared and contrasted with the literature reviewed, though it should be noted that new literature was reviewed and will be employed in order to better support the findings of the analysis process and provide a more elaborate examination of the issues discovered. Each preposition realized through the data analysis will take the form of a heading in this chapter and a more in depth analysis will take place.

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5.2. Axial Coding - Prepositions induced from primary data analysis

5.2.1. Insufficient internal communication, coordination and cooperation between the public and private sector can be detrimental to the successful development of winter tourism

The above preposition depicts the internal communication, coordination and cooperation between the private and the public sector, however, before commencing the analysis it is important to clarify the meaning given to the private and public sector in the context of Cyprus. This is done in order to convey the accurate meaning of the issues evident in the preposition. Hence, the public sector refers to the governmental departments that are directly or indirectly linked to the tourism industry, such as the Ministry of Commerce and Tourism, Ministry of Communication and Works and so on. Additionally, the public sector refers to the semi-governmental organisation of tourism, the CTO, which is responsible for the planning, promotion and marketing Cyprus tourism. Whereas, the private sector refers to all the industry unions and their members, such as Pan-Cyprian Association of Hoteliers, Association of Cyprus Travel Agents and so on. Also, the private sector refers to all owners of tourism related businesses who may not be a member of any industry unions in Cyprus. The analysis indicates that there is insufficient internal coordination within the public sector in relation to the implementation of new tourism policies. This has been identified by all public/private sector participants, as a key challenge in the successful development of the Cypriot tourism industry. The insufficient internal coordination within the public sector has been directly linked with the delay in the construction of new tourism infrastructure; more specifically, new infrastructure that would aid in the product diversification process. Additionally, coordination within the public sector has also been identified as a contributing factor to the hindrances in
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the decision-making process regarding tourism issues, such as new tourism policies, decisions on introducing new products or financial incentives for business owners. A private sector respondent points out in the tourism industry we are dependent on the accountability of the civil servants and the various governmental departments, he continues to add that as long as there is no accountability there is no hope in seeing the necessary improvements. Canada (1979 cited in Elliot 1997a) argues that accountability is the essential requirement needed to prevent the abuse of power that is given to the civil servants and instead direct that power towards the accomplishment of broadly accepted national aims, with the highest level of efficiency, effectiveness, integrity and prudence. It is the responsibility of managers within the public sector to correctly control tourism in public interest, in order to create a successful tourism industry (Elliot 1997b). Consequently, if accountability is not evident then the success of the destination is at risk. The decisions are taken from the government, and the procedures are lengthy, with one reason being the change of government every five years a public sector respondent highlights, with a another stating most of the objectives of the strategic plan have been delayed, due to the hindrances in all the processes that needed to be done, such as construction licences and other related licences. Therefore, it could be argued that the government hinders the process of tourism related decisions and development that needs to occur, through extensive bureaucracy, government rigidity and insufficient cooperation between departments. Sharpley (2001) intensifies this view by arguing that there are considerable differences among the planned and the tourism development that is actually implemented in Cyprus. Thus, it could be argued that the lack of accountability by

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the civil servants prevents the good governance of the public sector, and in turn the governance of the tourism sector, as accountability is considered a key attribute of successful governance (Shipley and Kovacs 2008). Effectiveness in achieving any objectives set by the organisation is a primary responsibility of the individuals within the public sector, and the capabilities and value of the individuals in charge should be in doubt if they are not achieved (Elliot 1997). However, this does not seem to be the case in Cyprus, where no responsibility is taken and no control is exerted on the public sector regarding tourism development. In turn, this creates a model of bad governance within the public sector. However, this model does not facilitate in the effective performance of the public sector that would aid in the successful tourism development (Shipley and Kovacs 2008). In addition, the reluctance to appoint a governmental body responsible for tourism related development intensifies these issues. Since, the CTO, which is officially responsible for the planning of tourism development, does not have the necessary authority on tourism development. As Sharpley (2001) highlights the CTO has more of a consultancy role within the industry. One private sector participant states there is no coordinating body and mechanism with the appropriate authority and resources that will put in place these special and tailor-made products. The reluctance of the government to appoint a governmental body solely responsible for tourism development could be attributed to the unwillingness of central bureaucracies to yield power to others (Yksel et al. 2005). These findings coincide with Sharpleys (2001 p.73) observations, that there is a lack of social structures for the implementation of policies, as well as a multi-layered organisation of democratic government, that delay decisions on tourism related activities.

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Despite the issue of insufficient coordination within the government, there are conflicting views on the internal communication, cooperation and coordination within the public and private sector. A public sector participant states there is a climate of close cooperation between the three core entities, the CTO, the government, and all tourism related enterprises. Whereas, another public sector participant asserts from personal contact that I have with the different associations they feel that they are not heard as much as they should be heard. The three public sector participants who have stated that there is a close cooperation, communication and coordination between the public and private sector hold positions within the head office of the CTO. These participants have a close contact with the different unions of the industry such as Association of Cyprus Travel Agents. However, all other public sector participants hold key positions within the regional offices of the CTO, where these individuals have a close contact with the unions of the industry as well as individual business owners. Thus, it could be argued that although close cooperation, coordination and communication exist at the corporate level, this is not effectively transferred to the operational level. Hence, the insufficient communication, cooperation and coordination negatively influence the tourism industry as a whole, as, individual businesses do not have any level of involvement in the decision-making process. Maybe the problem lies under the different personal interests of each association, that is, they are more interested in advancing their own specific sectors, rather than focusing on improving the tourism situation as a whole. As a public sector participant stated they only cooperate together on issues that interest each association individually, and do not cooperate on issues that interest Cyprus as a whole. As Byrd (2007) asserts, to have successful tourism development it is crucial
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that the interests of all parties involved are identified and understood, as failure to accomplish identifying these interests may result in the failure of the process. Since, failure to identify and understand these interests could result in conflict between the parties involved, which could lengthen development procedures or even prevent them from happening. Following Byrds argument, stated above, it is apparent that in Cyprus these challenges exist between the private and public sector, thus, significantly delaying the process of developing winter tourism, since there are no uniform goals between the parties. Although, understandably all parties would have their own personal interests to satisfy, it is important for the coordinating body to be aware of the parties interests, in order to successfully manage the process. The insufficient level of coordination, cooperation and communication between the public/private sectors has prevented the implementation of the strategic plan6. A private sector respondent said the strategic plan has made a good marketing plan on paper, but it has not reached the implementation stage. Another public sector participant affirmed our strategic plan was very optimistic regarding the objectives set. In other words, they did not take into account the many factors that influence tourism and could hindrance the implementation of the plan, such as the cooperation between the public/private sector or unpredictable external factors such as the economic crisis. A public sector interviewee supported this opinion I believe that in Cyprus we are lacking organisation and we need to have vision for the future. More specifically, there is insufficient organisation between all parties that
6

The strategic plan was created in 2003 until 2010 by the CTO, with the aim to position Cyprus as a qualitative tourist destination that will satisfy the visitor with various interests and quests and ensure the continuous improvement of the quality of life of the locals (CTO 2003 p.1).

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could create the necessary qualities for Cyprus, as a destination, in order to face the challenges that the tourism industry has. Consequently, this examination demonstrated the importance in cooperation, coordination and communication between the public and private sector in the successful development of winter tourism in Cyprus. As, Andriotis (2005) argues, governments efforts in convincing business owners to keep their establishments open during the low-season plays a crucial role in developing winter tourism. Although different stakeholders have different and most of the time conflicting opinions and expectations on tourism development policies; it is crucial that these expectations are harmonized into a clear and logical order that supports the general aims and objectives set, in order to attain a good position in the market (Yilmaz and Gunel 2009). This has to be achieved in order to face the challenges of the industry and avoid decline.
5.2.2. Insufficient awareness among the public/private sector and the local communities as a detrimental factor to the product diversification

A key public sector interviewee states our priority is to build a healthy tourism economy, rather than take care of the environment or the society. However, a partnership approach at all levels throughout the process of tourism development could maximize tourism benefits and minimize repeat effort and conflicts within a composite and multifaceted tourism sector (Churugsa et al. 2007). Since, avoiding taking into consideration the interests of all parties and encouraging participation in the development, could create major conflicts between parties, which could hindrance or even preclude any type of development (Byrd 2007). Byrd (2007) argues that it is the responsibility of the destinations management organisation to promote tourism awareness and encourage sustainable
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tourism practices. Also, Churugsa et al. (2007) maintain that, to secure a better management of tourism, it is crucial that government capacity regarding the understanding and knowledge of employees is adequate. Thus, it could be argued that key individuals in the CTO are not the most suitable individuals to promote tourism awareness and sustainable practices. In turn, the insufficient tourism awareness of key individuals within the CTO, affects the tourism awareness of the private sector as well as the local communities. Although much has been written on the importance of sustainability, this is a new concept in Cyprus and it has only recently started being cultivated in the minds of the individuals in the industry. This is because the mass tourism model that they have been employing until now, was fulfilling the consumption trends of the old tourist, which is thought to be an inexperienced, standard, mass tourist in search of hot weather and a suntan within the framework of a rigidly packaged holiday (Aguilo et al. 2005 p. 219). However the consumption trends are now different, the new tourist is more concerned with the environment and the unique experience that he/she could experience (Aguilo et al. 2005). Therefore, sustainability has currently gained more importance for the individuals in the industry, since the appeal of Cyprus is decreasing. As, Andriotis (2006) argues, if tourism development does not evolve within the sustainability model the attractiveness of the island could be lost. The public sector is gradually becoming more aware regarding the environmental sustainability of the tourism product, as one public sector interviewee noted we have done a number of seminars regarding environmental awareness. In addition, regarding the new tourism development, the government has included injunctions within the building licences that take into account the environmental impact. Simn et al. (2004) identified that the environmental education of
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stakeholders and improving legal regulations for environmental protection are two viable solutions for avoiding or attempting to solve environmental problems. Hence, it could be argued that the Cypriot government has taken some actions in order to promote one aspect of sustainability. Seeing as, now the environmental sustainability of the product has gained attention by the public sector, in relation to new infrastructure. On the other hand, the tourism product also includes the intangible human factor. One private sector respondent stated there is a lack of tourism awareness from the locals, in relation to their behaviour towards the tourists. Many public/private sector respondents attributed this lack of tourism awareness to the insufficient education regarding tourism that the locals have, and believe that the promotion should stem from the government. The locals see tourists as profit, instead of seeking to attract the customers to repeat their visit to Cyprus and offer hospitality. As, Yilmaz and Gunel (2009) argue, successful face-to-face relationships with the tourists play a crucial factor in the increase of profits and success. Additionally, a public sector respondent maintained that the environmental awareness of Cypriots needs to be improved. This is because locals have insufficient knowledge on the protection of the environment, for instance, leaving behind rubbish on the beach. One tourist stated Cypriot habits affected my holidays, continuing, Cypriots dispose rubbish on the beaches, countryside and roadside and I did not like that. Therefore, it could be argued that the tourism awareness of the public/private sector as well as the local communities plays a crucial role in the development of a sustainable tourism product. Seeing as, by increasing the tourism awareness of the locals, it could improve the environmental aspect of the product as well as the tourists satisfaction. Thus, enhancing the overall
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experience of the tourist, since, trends now indicate that tourists are more environmentally sensitive, and demand clean physical surroundings and protected environment (Garca-Falcn and Medina-Muoz 1999). A public sector participant stated unfortunately a hesitation exists within the private sector for the construction of new hotel units, continuing, we need special interest infrastructure. This is due to the current challenges that the tourism industry faces in Cyprus, which have resulted to the decline in arrivals. Another public sector participant strengthens this view by affirming that a belief exists that we are going through an economic crisis, we have no money and we cannot do any renovations, we cannot upgrade or diversify our product. However, the current narrow product of sun and sea is highly substitutable and offers no unique selling point for Cyprus (Ioannides 2002). New consumption trends now require for mature destinations to diversify their target markets, in order to meet the more personalised forms of travel which could aid in addressing seasonality (Fernando and Rebollo 2001). Since, creating more personalised products fulfils the demands of the current tourist; they appeal to a greater number of tourists and influence their decision process (Monfort Mir and Baidal 2001). Thus, it is crucial for both the private/public sector to increase their awareness regarding tourists demands and for the public sector to show more financial and technical support on such issues to the private sector. This is vital to be done in order to diversify the product and avoid decline (Claver-Crtes et al. 2007). As Sharpley (2002) discovered, in a study on agrotourism development in Cyprus as a product diversification policy, the lack of technical and financial governmental support and the lack of appropriate skills on the part of the local

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communities was a major influence in the failure of this strategy. Given that, the CTO did not continually support the project, through training in order for the entrepreneurs to improve their skills. As, Churugsa et al. (2007) argue, tourism education and training could increase the awareness of the public/private sectors and the local communities, regarding managing tourism and upgrading the quality of services, thus, retaining the satisfaction level of the tourist. From the above statements of public/private sector participants, it is apparent that insufficient awareness exists amongst the private/public sector and the local communities. Although sustainability has been identified in the strategic plan as a crucial factor, it is apparent that industry individuals do not understand the full extent of the concept. Although, since joining the EU, Cyprus has improved policies on diversifying the product through sustainable practices, such views from the individuals in the tourism industry reveal the inadequate tourism awareness. As, Hinrichsen (1998 cited in Sasidharan and Thapa 2002) argues, the lack of required knowledge and misinterpretation of the sustainability notion by the destinations tourism organisation, results in the incorrect implementation of sustainabledevelopment plans. Therefore, the insufficient awareness of the public/private and local communities plays a vital role in the successful product diversification.
5.2.3. Dependencies of the industry on tour operators and air travel companies are detrimental in addressing seasonality

As most mature sun-and-sea islands, Cyprus also relies on tour operators and air travel companies for the tourist flow that it receives, as it is the fasted and easiest transportation channel for island destinations. Dependency on tourism development is a common challenge for island destinations, especially the dependency on tour operators and airlines, due to the small geographical areas, distance and isolation
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from urban centres (Sharpley 2001). It is important to clarify the meaning that is given to tour operators and air travel companies within this project, in order to convey the issues involved accurately. Thus, dependency on tour operators also includes all charter flights controlled by tour operators. Whereas, dependency on air travel companies refers to national carriers, other private carriers as well as low-cost carriers. The dependency on tour operators and air travel companies could be thought as a damaging factor in tackling seasonality, due to the control that they have on tourist arrivals. Since, the destination relies on the decisions made by tour operators and air travel companies in terms of the number of flights that they operate. As a private sector respondent asserts tour operators are a contributing factor to seasonality, due to their power within the industry. Also, a public sector participant noted Cyprus needs to reduce the excessive dependency that the industry has on tour operators. A public sector participant states tour operators discontinue their travel programmes at the end of October mid November. Additionally, another public sector respondent notes the number of flights to Cyprus from other independent carries is considerably reduced over the winter season, with another affirming it is important to arrange frequent airline services to Cyprus and not frequent charter flights. As Andriotis (2005) argues, seasonality could be created due to the reluctance of tour operators and carriers to continue their operations during the off-season period. From the above responses it is evident that tour operators and air travel companies control most of the tourist flow in Cyprus, and their unwillingness to continue their flights during the winter season creates this one-peak seasonality form (Fernandez-Morales 2003). Hence, the reliance of Cyprus on a small number of
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tour operators and air travel companies negatively affects any effort to create a year round destination. Thus, the public sector should focus more on increasing the number of air travel companies operating in Cyprus, as well as the number of flights by each carrier, consequently improving accessibility. Diminishing seasonality has been an objective of the strategic plan from the beginning of its conception in 2003. However, in the current winter policy, which was implemented last year, the CTO agreed to offer financial support to the hoteliers and tour operators to assist in developing winter tourism. Thus, tour operators have been used as the main channel for tourist flow and not independent air travel companies. Sharpley (2001) claims, that working with the key operators and focusing on key markets, either with niche or conventional products, could be an effective strategy. Since, it could assist in consolidating the current business as well as increase off-peak season or winter-sun tourist flows and develop new niche products. However, the above strategies could prove counterproductive, as, winter tourism, like summer tourism, would again dependent on tour operators, which could be a risky strategy. Since, Loukissas and Skayiannis (2001) argue, dependency on tour operators does create seasonality due to the control that they have on tourist flows. Given that, tour operators control of the tourism flow, offers more power to them and in the case that they decide to discontinue their flights to Cyprus, this could again result in a very small tourism season. Attracting more air travel companies could be a more reliable strategy, as by increasing the number of carriers the dependency of Cyprus could decrease and accessibility could increase (Boopen 2006). Such action could aid Cyprus in fulfilling certain trends that have been witnessed from the new tourist concept, where tourists are now demanding more flexibility and independence when travelling (Aguilo et al. 2005). Additionally, the
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competition among tour operators and air travel companies could increase, thus, enhance efficiency as well as lead tour operators and air travel companies to offer a more competitive price (Boopen 2006). Therefore, as a public sector participant stated a scheme has been developed, in collaboration with the EU, providing incentives to airlines to start operations to Cyprus with the aim to attract low cost airlines and other carriers that have not operated in Cyprus, in order to achieve the goal of an all year round accessibility. Such strategy could aid in addressing seasonality, because, as Andriotis (2005) argues air travel companies decision to discontinue a number of flights during the off-peak season is a contributing factor to seasonality. Currently the scheme is there and the CTO is receiving applications from a number of airlines and operations will commence next year. This strategy has individuals within the industry believing that airlines should transform Cyprus into a hub, as a public sector respondent asserted. This could prove to be a feasible strategy due to the geographical location of Cyprus, which is in the middle of three continents. However, for this strategy to be successful, it is vital that the appropriate products are developed to attract sufficient tourism flow to Cyprus, in order for the air travel companies to continue their flights throughout the year. Additionally, the dependency on the one-dimensional mass sun-and-sea tourism product has been identified as a causal factor to seasonality, with a public sector participant suggesting perhaps there was too much dependency on the mass sun-and-sea tourism product. The same participant continues stating we have fallen behind on infrastructure that could have assisted in developing other forms of tourism. Loukissas and Skayiannis (2001) argue that by adopting the conventional mass tourism model seasonality is created. Therefore, the dependency that Cyprus
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has placed on the highly seasonal sun-and-sea product has intensified seasonality (Sastre and Benito 2001). Bramwell (2004) asserts that a destination should be able to match potential products to suitable target markets. Still, the current narrow product of Cyprus has prevented this, as it only targets the sun-and-sea market, as one private sector respondent emphasised the tourist product has to be upgraded and new products that meet current consumption trends need to be offered. A tourist that visited Cyprus both during the summer and winter season, asserted that during winter I was happy to just enjoy the better weather, continuing, most of the tourist areas were actually closed. This is supported by Clerides and Pashourtidou (2007) who discovered that tourists were more likely to be dissatisfied during the winter than in summer when the main product of Cyprus is at its best. However, some actions have been taken to tackle this issue, as a public sector respondent stated the legislation has now changed and adapted to encourage the development of special interest products to meet the demand of the new forms of tourism. Another public sector respondent affirmed incentives for conference centre, wellness and spa centres and theme parks are currently offered, in order to diversify the product. Strategies that diversify the product and meet customer demands could encourage tour operators and air travel companies to continue their flights throughout the year. Additionally, variety in products offered, combined with the financial incentives offered could attract new carriers to Cyprus, thus reducing dependency on a small number of carriers and tour operators. Therefore, from the above examination it is apparent that Cypruss dependency on tour operators, air travel companies as well as the highly seasonal sun-and-sea product contribute to seasonality.
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5.2.4. SIT and alternative forms of tourism development as a factor in tackling seasonality

The analysis indicates that the main function of SIP is thought to be complimentary to the current sun-and-sea product. As a public sector participant claims special interest products are complimentary and there to enrich our main product, with another stating special interest tourism should complement, give something extra than the sun and sea. However, many public/private sector respondents believe that SIP would inevitably improve the winter season as well. A public sector respondent stated Cyprus should focus on special interest products to tackle seasonality, with another asserting special interest products can entertain, accommodate and attract tourists throughout the year. This could prove to be a successful strategy, as Garau-Vadell and de Borja-Sole (2008) argue that the diversity of conventional tourism and NFT7 could assist destinations in lengthening their tourist season. This is because NFT products appeal to a greater number of tourists than the conventional sun-and-sea product (Agarwal 2002). In addition, SIP are not seasonal products, as the sun-and-sea product, and could aid in diminishing seasonality, due to their year-round appeal. Since, SIP could attract tourists at any time of the year, to take part at an activity he/she is interested in. As, Read (1980 cited in McKercher and Chan 2005) maintains special interest activities become the hub around which the complete travel experience is designed and developed. A private sector participant affirmed in Cyprus the special interest groups usually travel during the off-peak season, i.e. April, May, October and November. Hence, the argument of Garau-Vadell and de Borja-Sole (2008) that NFT could aid in tackling seasonality is supported, since in Cyprus groups with special interest
7

NFT stands for New Forms of Tourism. NFT includes both SIT and alternative forms of tourism.

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travel during the low season. Despite the existence of financial incentives for these products, the analysis indicated that the public sector is not developing new products exclusively for winter tourism. As it was demonstrated above, their present actions on diversifying the tourism product are more focused on enriching the current sunand-sea product. The development of winter tourism products is more of an unplanned consequence of the sun-and-sea product enhancement. Cyprus does have the geographical characteristics that aid in the development of SIT. As it was affirmed in the interviews Cyprus has a pool of history, of culture, of civilisation that goes through the centuries and the necessary characteristics to become a competitive winter destination due to its climate. As, Fernando and Rebollo (2001) and (Salanniemi 2001) assert, Cyprus has great potential to develop SIP, due to its geographical characteristics, as well as a cultural heritage and political/nationalistic history that could be the foundations for identity-building. However, the infrastructures that could accommodate these SIP are still limited, with the exception of the wellness and spa product, as one public sector respondent affirmed the spa and wellness product of Cyprus is one of the best in the Mediterranean. The CTO actively promotes this product and perceives these products are important in increasing the quality of the tourism product as a whole, as well as attract high-spending tourists. As Bramwell (2004) argues, SIP could attract the high-spending tourists that are willing to pay for these special interest activities. Gradually NFT are also employed by the CTO as a way to address seasonality, as a new marketing strategy aims to target specific markets and promote special interest tourism during the low season. The CTO is constantly trying to develop the infrastructure for SIP, with a public sector participant stating the infrastructures for some of the SIP are there and they are constantly creating
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new SIP infrastructure. However, a public sector respondent stated there is a lack of large conference centres and establishments to accommodate medical tourism, with another emphasizing to promote SIP the necessary infrastructure needs to be developed as well as the accommodation units for these new forms of tourism or to enhance the current units to be able to accommodate these types of tourists. Nevertheless, for instance, the promotion of medical and conference tourism has begun this year, with CTO visiting the 4th National Conference of Health tourism in Philippines (Politis 2009). However, the necessary infrastructure is not available to offer the total experience of health tourism, which could lead to dissatisfaction (Beerli and Martn 2004). The analysis has revealed that the CTO is aware of the insufficient infrastructure for these SIP, but the competitive environment of tourism forces the destination to promote a product when the tourism experience is incomplete. This lack of organisation and planning , mentioned above, has also been discovered by Andriotis (2003) in the Greek islands, where he asserts that, due to the dynamic nature of tourism there is no planning involved when it comes to development. It is vital that these SIP are offered to the tourists, since, such activities will become the primary goal of the trip, with the season taking a secondary role (Brotherton and Himmetoglou1997 cited in Trauer 2006). But, the destination must offer the complete experience of such SIP before promoting them, in order to satisfy the tourists expectations and succeed. Additionally, the development of SIP could assist in improving the value for money factor for the tourists during the low-season (Curtis et al. 2007). The analysis revealed that the public/private sector interviewees believe that SIP could increase the low prices that are offered during the winter. One private sector participant asserts once you tailor a product for a specific segment and promote it effectively
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during the winter season, then you can transform the low season into a high season and therefore demand a higher price. This is a strategy that Germany has adopted with the creation of Oktoberfest8, in Munich. Koenig-Lewis and Bischoff (2005 p.211) argue, that by targeting the specific market segment with a unique event, Germany has managed to create a mini-season of its own. Thus, for instance an event either based on tradition or a novel concept could definitely transform an off-peak season into shoulder season period (Goulding et al. 2004). As Rivera et al. (2008) discovered, cultural events, could generate economic flow, represented by supplementary income to the local community. Furthermore, another public sector respondent stated it is crucial to be competitive in relation to price, but we have to prove that Cyprus offers better value for money than other destinations. This is an important issue for Cyprus to tackle, as Clerides and Pashourtidou (2007) highlighted, tourists in Cyprus were more likely to be dissatisfied with the value for money factor during the low-season. Development SIP could increase the satisfaction of the winter tourists as more activities will be offered, fulfilling the tourist need for product diversification (Ashworth and Tunbridge 2005). Moreover, SIT and alternative forms of tourism could be considered a more sustainable form of tourism if properly implemented, by the private and public sector of Cyprus. Given that, such forms of tourism promote the feel of the area, the appreciation of the local uniqueness, as well as improve the environmental quality of the conventional mass form of tourism, through enhancing the destination and the greening of tourist amenities (Bramwell 2004). CTO is now following a more
8

Oktoberfest, is a festival that takes place in Munich, Germany. The festival runs from late September to early October for 16 days. It is one of the worlds largest fair and attracts some six million people per year.

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environmentally friendly strategy, where any tourism development licence encompasses environmental legislation that needs to be followed. For instance, licences for the new golf courses include legislation where the developers must equip their golf courses with mobile desalination units (CTO 2008b). It is crucial that these strategies are put into practice correctly in order to promote a more sustainable product as well as meet the tourists demand. It is important not to misinterpret the concept of environmentally friendly in terms of SIP. The misinterpretation of environmentally friendly SIP has previously occurred in Cyprus with the promotion of eco-friendly safaris to experience the traditional culture, but the convoy of off-road cars created more pollution than a conventional coach (Ioannides and Holcomb 2001). The diversification of both SIT and alternative forms of tourism could aid in tackling seasonality as well as create a more environmentally friendly product as long as they are properly applied (Garau-Vadell and de Borja-Sole 2008; Bramwell 2004). In Cyprus, SIT and alternative forms of tourism development are mainly used as a complimentary activity for the summer tourist, this could also inevitably expand the season. This was identified from the literature as well as by the public/private sector respondents. SIP could attract tourists regardless of the season, as the principal goal of the trip is the activity itself as well as offer value for money. Therefore, SIT and alternative forms of tourism development plays an important factor in addressing seasonality.

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5.2.5. The image of Cyprus as a sun-and-sea destination is perceived as a hindrance in the diversification process

The corporate image of Cyprus, that is the perception that people have of Cyprus as a destination, has been identified by all public/private sector interviewees as a contributing factor to seasonality, hence, it is thought as a barrier to the diversification process. As a public sector respondent asserted the image is definitely a contributing factor to seasonality. Sastre and Benito (2001) argue, the highly seasonal sun-and-sea product prevents the destination to lengthen its tourism season. Thus the image that Cyprus is promoting contributes to seasonality. Both public/private sector respondents believe that the current sun-and-sea tourism image of Cyprus is a result of all shareholders actions over the years, as a public sector respondent stated the hoteliers, the tour operators, the travel agents, the government, everyone is responsible for the image of Cyprus. As, Ioannides (2001) affirms after the Turkish invasion Cyprus needed to recover from the war, at the time there was a growing demand for sun-and-sea destinations in the northern markets. Thus, Cyprus, taking advantage of its climate and beaches became a popular sun-and sea destination. Although, at the time this was a viable strategy, Cyprus was not able to adjust to the current tourists demands. Therefore, the stereotypical image of Cyprus has prevented the destination to diversify its market. On the demand side, when participants were asked on the image of Cyprus, a tourist stated I see Cyprus as long beaches, lots of sunshine, nice cafes and restaurants with another asserting that the image that he has is sunny with nice beaches and picturesque. Although all tourists associated Cyprus with sun-and-sea, two tourists asserted that they associate Cyprus with culture as well. One tourist said I see Cyprus as friendly people, lovely climate, ancient sites, with another stating
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I see Cyprus as a historic but progressive, thriving place with a friendly buzz. These two tourists had visited Cyprus over the winter season as well, thus, they had the time to explore the island more than the tourists visiting over the summer season for the first time. Hence, the image that they have could be attributed to the greater knowledge that they had of Cyprus. This is supported by Echtner and Ritchie (1993 cited in Beerli and Martn 2004 p.664) who argue, tourists that are more familiar with the place have images that are more holistic, psychological, and unique. They continue arguing, that people less familiar with the destination have images that are mostly based on characteristics, common attributes and functional features. The responses of the tourists, who visited for the first time, indicate that the image that they have is the standard sun-and-sea image, and most tourists had no knowledge of the history and culture of the island. Since, most tourists had an image based on the characteristics of Cyprus, that is, its common attributes and functional features such as long beaches, sunshine, restaurants etc. As, Bramwell (2004) identified the stereotypical image based on sun, coast and landscape is a threat that most mass mature Mediterranean islands face. As, the image that these destinations have are mostly based on common characteristics and functional features and do not create a unique attribute; therefore, these destinations are easily replaced by other destinations (Ioannides 2002). In addition, the image that they have could be perceived as seasonal, since Cyprus is only associated with sun-and-sea (Sastre and Benito 2001). This is also supported by the findings, as eight tourists responded that Cyprus would not be a destination that they would consider for winter holidays. Given that, they associate Cyprus with the summer season and hot weather. A tourist stated that he would not visit over the winter as I see Cyprus as a sun-and-sea destination, with another
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tourist stating no, I dont think that Cyprus is offered as a winter destination adding I would prefer to go to Tenerife or something similar as you have guaranteed sun during the winter. These responses indicate that tourists do not associate Cyprus with any activities that they could pursue during the winter. However, there are special interests activities that tourists could pursue over the winter, such as the spa and wellness product, sport activities, wildlife activities, cultural events etc. Yet, they perceive that Cyprus can only offer summer activities. Hence, it is apparent that the image of Cyprus could be a hindrance in addressing seasonality. Nevertheless, two tourists did claim that they would visit Cyprus over the winter, with one emphasizing yes, because of the weather; weather is very important for me and another asserting I am not retired yet but once I am retired I would like to come over the winter, continuing the weather is pretty good over the winter as well. The climatic conditions are still the factor that motivates tourists to visit the island, rather than a special interest activity or a unique attribute that Cyprus has. The climatic conditions have always been a feature that Cyprus was promoting and has built its image on the hot weather. However, by tourists stating that the climatic conditions are the only reason to visit during the winter, it could be argued that the Cypriot industry has not pursued any type of change in the positioning of Cyprus. The mild climate of Cyprus over the winter is of course a great advantage; however, this is a factor that is similar to most Mediterranean destinations. This image does not provide Cyprus with a unique selling point, which could essentially differentiate the destination from the competition. As a private sector respondent

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asserted Cyprus is lacking the uniqueness of identity and unique character that one is looking to experience when they visit a country or a destination. Equally, Ioannides (2002) maintains the could be anywhere sun-and-sea image is very easily replaced by another destination. Therefore, particularly during the winter season, which the main product of Cyprus (sun-and-sea) is not at its best, it does not offer a product that could distinguish the island from other destinations. Additionally, Papatheodorou (2002) argues that the image and status of the resort influences the diversification in tourism amenities and activities that the resort has. Therefore, since Cyprus has a sun-lust image it is difficult to attract other type of tourists or investment in the area that would aid the diversification process. This demonstrates the important role that the image of Cyprus plays in developing winter tourism. Since, based on Papatheodorous argument, in the case that the image of Cyprus is diversified, the destination could attract different types of investments that could facilitate the development of various activities and infrastructure. The diversification of the product offered could also facilitate in targeting various market segments with specialised products, thus, aiding in tackling seasonality. However, it is crucial that the development of products precedes the diversification of the image, since the message that is communicated to the tourist has to match the reality of the place, in order to avoid dissatisfaction (Beerli and Martn 2004). Nonetheless, a strategy that the CTO is now following is the promotion of SIP, as a public sector respondent affirms now, our promotion strategy emphasizes the special interest products as well in an attempt to encourage tourists to discover that Cyprus can offer many more activities in addition to the sun and sea. A promotion strategy promoting SIP could influence the tourists on the image that they have for Cyprus. This is because the different secondary information sources, such as
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advertising, guidebooks, brochures, travel agents, etc., that a tourist would use aid in shaping the secondary image of the tourist (Beerli and Martn 2004). The secondary image is the image that the tourist creates before visiting a destination, and the secondary information sources significantly affect the image that tourists have of the destination (Beerli and Martn 2004). Again, there is no specific promotion strategy for winter tourism, however, the SIP that exist and those that will be developed and promoted, will be year-round products. As it was stated by one public sector participant special interest products can entertain, accommodate and attract tourists throughout the year. Hence, the general promotion strategy could influence the overall image of the tourists to include all the different activities that the tourists could pursue in Cyprus (Beerli and Martn 2004). Therefore, by promoting an image that incorporates these SIP, it could assist in extending the tourism season, as SIP have been identified as key in addressing seasonality (Bartolom et al. 2009). Finally, only two tourists would visit Cyprus over the winter season due to the mild climate, hence, tourists are unaware of any unique experiences offered in Cyprus. As the findings demonstrate the image that Cyprus has could be perceived as a hindrance in addressing seasonality. Consequently, Cyprus should concentrate on altering its conventional image, and promote more unique characteristics, thus, preventing the continuation of the declining trend that the industry is experiencing.
5.2.6. Impacts of tourism as a result of seasonality

The analysis has revealed that seasonality has created many economical, social and environmental issues in Cyprus. All public/private sector respondents identified that seasonality decreases the economic earnings of Cyprus as whole, as a

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public sector respondent stated by improving seasonality it will increase the income of Cyprus as a country, assisting in improving the economic situation. Since, establishments that close for the winter season do not offer any economical benefits. As, both Andriotis (2005) and Koenig-Lewis and Bischoff (2005) identify, the concentration of tourist flow into a few months, results in problems in acquiring access to capital, low return on investment and subsequent high risk, due to the inefficient use of facilities and resources. In addition, a private sector respondent noted employees being unemployed during the winter season are a burden to the economy, with another stating many employees only work for 6 months and they then have to register to the unemployment office. This was observed by Adamou (2009) as well, he identified that from the 19,000 unemployed people claiming unemployment benefits, 4,000 are attributed to the seasonality that Cyprus is experiencing, thus increasing the expenses of Cyprus as a whole. Furthermore, during the winter supply is high and demand is low, thus, businesses that do stay open are forced to considerably lower their prices. One public sector participant asserted some establishments that are desperately trying to stay open during the winter season reduce their prices considerably in order to make some kind of profit. Equally, Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida (2008) affirm, seasonality especially affects the individual small and medium enterprises, since the low occupancy rates in the off-peak season, results in low profitability. This affects the financial viability of the businesses, as one public sector respondent noted during the winter season where the prices are lower the earnings are lower as well, however, the operational expenses stay the same. As Higham and Hinch (2002) argue, seasonality is an obstacle to economic viability. Thus, by creating a tourism
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flow that is more equally distributed throughout the year, it could offer business owners the opportunity to increase their profitability during the low season. As it was earlier mentioned seasonality increases the unemployment rate during the winter season. Diminishing seasonality could automatically improve the everyday life of the local communities; a public sector respondent asserted eliminating seasonality will have positive economical and social benefits, with the increase of year-round job opportunities. As, Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida (2008) affirm, seasonal employment negatively influences the economic and social well-being of the people in the community that most rely on tourism as a source of income. A private sector respondent observed, that the shortage of workforce, has forced business owners to rely heavily on foreign employees. Currently an increasing amount of foreign workers are employed in the tourism industry, especially during the peak season in order to meet demand (Ayres 2000). A private sector participant noted there is no supply of full-time local workforce, and it leads to the weakening of the competitiveness of the tourism product as quality decreases. All public/private sector participants agree that the shortage of workforce contributes to the decrease in the quality of the product offered. Since, the difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified employees makes retaining product and quality standards very difficult (Goulding et al. 2004). However, a public sector respondent asserted cheap and temporary labour is a contributing factor to the decrease in quality; however, it does not contribute as much as everyone likes to think. Given that, only little, if at all, training is usually given for temporary employees, therefore their skills remain minimal (Koenig-Lewis

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and Bischoff 2005). Nonetheless, the CTO has introduced some policies in order to tackle the challenge of untrained and foreign workforce. As a private sector participant stated there are educational programmes for training employees, such as learning the Greek language as well as other languages in order to offer a better service. Furthermore, due to all the problems that seasonality creates, it has put a lot of pressure on businessmen, as one public sector respondent asserts some professionals in the tourism industry may behave badly due to the pressure and fatigue that they feel from all these issues, which reflects a negative image on the tourism product. In other words, the pressure that local businessmen have to recuperate their profits, during the high-season, has caused them to take actions that create a negative image of Cyprus. In particular, over-pricing of products, overbooking of accommodation, as well as over-exploiting the tourist, are sometimes found in Cyprus (Saveriades 2000). These actions inevitably decrease the quality of the product thus resulting to the dissatisfaction of the tourist and a poor reputation (Saveriades 2000). The temporary view that tourism entrepreneurs have of tourism, may be the key reason for the decrease in quality and satisfaction, as a public sector respondent remarked the seasonality that Cyprus is experiencing has resulted in both the industry and the workforce to face tourism as temporary. As Andriotis (2005) asserts, business owners have to make the most of the high-season, hence, they are pushed to lower their service quality and this often results in dissatisfaction. Thus, it could be argued that this reduces the possibility that the tourist would repeat his/her visit, since, there is an important relationship between tourist satisfaction, intention

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to repeat the visit and positive word-of-mouth communication (Kozak and Rimmington 2000). Additionally, as two public sector participants assert seasonality puts a lot of pressure on businesses to earn as much money as possible during the peak season, seeking to make a quick profit, is not a sustainable model, as it does not have any long-term perspective. As Saveriades (2000) suggests, a consequence of seasonality is the overstretching of business activities during the high-season in order for the businesses to recover lost revenue from the low season. This pressure has left stakeholders neglecting the environmental aspect of the product. This has caused the overuse of resources during the high-season, resulting in environmental problems, such as noise pollution, traffic congestion, pressure on the islands infrastructure and resources and so on. As, Jang (2004) points out, the large concentration of tourists leaves the destination vulnerable to events, that could have a negative impact on the environment. Moreover, a public sector respondent noted that in Ayia Napa, the most seasonal resort in Cyprus, a large number of hotels, restaurants and other tourism related establishments were developed to satisfy the excessive number of tourist arrivals. Thus, the built environment has been damaged from unattractive infrastructure. The environmental problems that are created also affect the quality of the tourism product as a whole. This is also supported by Ioannides (2002) who argues that in mature summer mass destinations the dissatisfaction of tourists is directly linked with the environmental problems that they have. Ioannides and Holcomb (2001) highlighted that individuals within the public sector in Cyprus believe that some coastal areas have reached their carrying capacity

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levels. However, this cannot be entirely supported by the findings, since, the public/private sector interviewees responses vary. Only three respondents believe that all the popular resorts have reached their carrying capacity levels, with one private sector participant affirming certain areas, tourist areas, yes it seems that we have reached the carrying capacity of these specific tourist areas. Another public sector participant stated I believe that in some coastal areas there is a problem of carrying capacity. Nevertheless, all other public/private sector interviewees do not believe that Cyprus has reached a worrying level of carrying capacity. However, they do believe that there are some issues that need to be taken into consideration in order to avoid reaching the carrying capacity levels of the destination. One public sector participant stated the highly seasonal tourist flows to Cyprus has pushed the carrying capacity levels of the tourism areas higher, if we had the opportunity to operate as a tourism destination for about ten months these carrying capacity issues would not exist. Another public sector participant noted I would say that Cyprus is slowly reaching its level of carrying capacity as the necessary infrastructure is not available. One public sector respondent emphasized carrying capacity is an issue of the correct management of resources. Hence, as Saveriades (2000) argues, the carrying capacity of an area is not static or fixed, it alters over time and depends on the tourist arrivals, good management tools and techniques that could control the carrying capacity levels of the areas. Therefore, it could be argued that the steady decline that Cyprus is experiencing in the last few years has prevented the areas to reach their levels of carrying capacity. However, if the uncontrollable development continues, with no consideration of the carrying capacity levels of the areas from the tourism industry; it
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could result in immediate decline. Since, carrying capacity is directly linked with sustainability in island destinations and sustainability has been identified as key in destination success (Lim and Cooper 2008; Buhalis and Diamantis 2001). Thus, it is crucial for the destination to manage the areas, through various techniques, to avoid reaching its carrying capacity levels, such as, the environmental education of locals, ensuring that environmental impacts are taken into consideration in private decisions, financial incentives (charges, taxes) to correct particular deficiencies, and so on (Simn et al. 2004). As the analysis indicates many problems are created due to seasonality in Cyprus. Public/private sector interviewees believe that extending the tourism season would only generate positive outcomes. Since, the people that would visit during the winter months are mostly mature and retired tourists that would not have any negative social or environmental impact, as one private sector interviewee stated I do not believe that the improvement of seasonality will have any particular social or environmental influences, as during the winter the target groups are mainly pensioners and in general mature tourists. As, Hunter-Jones and Blackburn (2007) argue, mature tourists, aged 55 and over, usually travel during the off-peak season. Horneman et al. (2002 cited in Batra 2009 p.200) identified that the benefits that mature travellers seek are education and learning, rest and relaxation, physical exercise and fitness, and visiting friends and relatives. In addition, Littrell et al. (2004) discovered that mature travellers engage mainly in special interest activities such as hiking, eco-tours, sports, cultural - for instance visiting museums, sampling local food- and so on. Consequently, it could be argued that the SIP that mature travellers are seeking are considered more able to apply to the principles of sustainability rather
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than the conventional mass tourism (Bramwell 2004). Additionally, a public sector participant noted if the businesses are able to work for twelve months the pressure put on the environment will reduce, as the businesses would not be pressured in earning as much money as possible in a short period of time. Therefore, public/private sector respondents believe that extending the tourism season could not cause negative results, however, always taking into account that the tourism development will occur through sustainable practices.
5.2.7. SIP as a factor for choosing Cyprus as a winter destination

As, Calantone and Johar (1984 cited in Jang 2004) argue, tourists have different motivations across seasons, and it is vital to understand the particular motivations of each season in order to attract more tourists. The data analysis indicates that SIP could be a stimulus and an influencing factor in the decisionmaking process. Since, the special interest activity is the hub where the whole travel experience is arranged and developed (Read 1980 cited in McKercher and Chan 2005). The analysis demonstrated that all tourists were willing to travel to Cyprus during the winter season as long as the product offered would be of interest to them. As one tourist stated if the activity would appeal to me personally it would definitely influence my decision in travelling to Cyprus. Therefore, the analysis indicates that tourists visiting during the low-season are more likely to pursue other activities as well, rather than focus on the sun-and-sea product. As a public sector interviewee observed the winter tourist that visits in April, May, in general the beginning of the tourist season, wants to experience something else instead of the sun-and-sea product, he/she is different, he/she wants to travel around the island. Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida (2008) identified, tourists visiting during the low season are more interested in the cultural attributes of
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the destination, the closeness to nature, the existence of a certain level of isolation, picturesque scenery, peace and quiet and an unpolluted environment. Whereas the summer tourists are more concerned about the climate, nightlife, and usually prefer the coastal areas (Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida 2008). Therefore, it could be observed that the winter tourists prefer to explore the destination, and seek unique experiences. Hence, the diversification of the current product and promotion of SIP could encourage tourists to choose Cyprus as a winter destination (Bartolome et al. 2009). Furthermore, the findings also revealed special interest activities that tourists would like to pursue in Cyprus and would be more appealing to them, thus, assisting in lengthening the tourist season. Cultural events were identified as one of the most appealing activity that would attract tourists to visit Cyprus. Equally, Aksu and Silva (2009) highlighted that cultural and architectural heritage of the destination as a key activity for the winter tourist. As a tourist noted Cyprus does have a certain history and therefore some cultural and historical events or activities would be good with another interviewee stating I would visit because of the historical aspects of Cyprus, and I would focus more on the cultural aspects. Additionally, a tourist that had visited Cyprus during the winter stated that Cyprus did not offer any cultural related activities, adding that it should offer cultural tours of ancient sites and village life, maybe some entertainment in evenings, such as theatre or folklore, music, dance shows. Therefore, attention should be paid in offering activities that promote the traditional cultural of Cyprus. This could also increase the satisfaction level of the winter tourist since, Clerides and Pashourtidou (2007) affirmed that the winter tourist is more likely to be dissatisfied than the summer tourist, where the main product of sun-and-sea is at its best. So, the
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lack of recreational activities during the winter season lowers the satisfaction level of the tourist. Seeing that, in a study of Mallorca during the off-peak season, Kozak and Rimmington (2000) identified that availability of sports, shopping, nightlife, entertainment, access to museums and historical places, considerably increased the satisfaction level of the tourist. Another popular activity that the data analysis revealed were SIP concerning the sea, in particular maritime activities or events. One tourist asserted I would love activities to do with the sea, such as diving, snorkelling, I love ports and marinas so activities to do with that would be great adding that Cyprus should take advantage of the beautiful sea that it has. Another tourist affirmed that maritime events, would definitely attract me, we love the sea and water sports even during the winter. As Andriotis (2006) highlights, most people are attracted to the sea, and visiting coastal areas has always been an appealing proposition. With, Moreno and Becken (2009) pointing out, coastal and marine areas are among the most popular areas for tourism activities. Cyprus could easily provide the maritime product that tourists demand, due to the geographical characteristics of the island. The correct development of maritime activities, through sustainable practices, could offer the full experience of maritime tourism. In addition, a tourist stated specific events for sports would definitely make me visit Cyprus during the winter months. Sporting calendars have been highlighted as a contributing factor to seasonality, as people travel at a certain time, because they need to attend a specific event, at a specific destination at particular time of the year (Butler 1994 cited in Koening-Lewis and Bischoff 2005 p.205). Therefore, organising sporting events such as maritime events, golf event and so on, could be an influencing factor in choosing Cyprus during the winter.
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Eco-friendly activities, such as trekking, climbing, agro tourism etc., have also been distinguished as a factor that could influence the tourists decision-making process. As one tourist stated I am very big into environmentally friendly things, so yes, if they truly advertised such things, this would attract me. Another tourist affirmed that I would very much entertain eco-friendly activities wildlife or pond life activities. Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida (2008) discovered that the winter tourists want to be closer to nature, and seek an unpolluted environment. Additionally, Aksu and Silva (2009) identified, natural heritage as the second most important motivation for the low season tourist. Exploring the hinterland areas was an interesting proposition for the tourists during the winter season. As a tourist who had visited over the winter stated we went to Kykkos monastery and explored Troodos mountain and other monasteries; with another tourist emphasizing that arts weeks, like they do in Knossos, where you go to a retreat in the mountains and do classes all week would attract me. Therefore, it could be argued that exploring the island and especially hinterland areas becomes more appealing during the winter season when the sun-and-sea product is not considered to be at its best. This is supported by Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida (2008) where they identified that tourists visiting during the low season visited the hinterland areas more than the tourists visiting during the high season. Thus, it could be argued that the hinterland areas could be an attractive proposition for the winter tourist. Moreover, SIP have been identified as a very important factor in fulfilling the motivations of tourists during the off-peak season, thus mitigating seasonality. SIP are the hub of the travel experience and as long as the product offered is targeted at the correct market it could influence the decision of tourists. As, Spencer and
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Holecek (2007) affirm, due to the diversity of the low season market, attention paid to attract and serve specific segments of the market are more likely to succeed than efforts to attract and serve low season tourists in general. A tourist stated I am always looking for significant national events, especially cultural and maritime, therefore the market is there for Cyprus to target special interest tourists. Targeting special interest tourists, based on their interests has also been identified by Koenig-Lewis and Bischoff (2005) as a valid strategy to increase the tourist flow during the low season. Furthermore, as it was earlier stated by a private sector participant during the winter the target groups are mainly pensioners and in general mature tourists. Thus, the key market that Cyprus is likely to target is motivated by special interest products. Hence, it could be argued that SIP are an important factor in attracting tourists to Cyprus during the winter season.
5.2.8. Push and pull factors and their role in the holiday decision-making process

Through the analysis the climate of Cyprus has been determined as one of the most important pull factor. All tourists identified the weather as one of the most important factor with a tourist stating you get a guaranteed sunny weather in august. Another tourist said I came to Cyprus to escape the British weather for a hotter climate. Furthermore, the climatic conditions of Cyprus have been emphasized as an important factor for the two tourists that would visit Cyprus over the winter. One tourist stated the weather is pretty good over the winter as well, with another asserting summer weather even in autumn times. The climatic conditions of Cyprus is a great advantage as the 3Ss9, which is the core product of Cyprus, is still thought to be appealing to the largest segment of the market (Holloway 2006).
9

3Ss stands for the sun, sea and sand product.

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Additionally, Sharpley (2001) points out, the climatic and geographical attributes of islands are an attractive offer to the tourists. The reason behind this finding may be attributed to the tourism season that the research took place. As, Baum and Hagen (1999 cited in Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida 2008) argue, tourists visiting in the peak season have a different profile, with different characteristics and preferences, than the off-peak season tourist. In other words, the research was undertaken in summer, the peak tourism season of Cyprus, thus, as Kastenholz and Lopes de Almeida (2008) identify the high season tourists are more interested in the climatic conditions of the destination. The geographical location of Cyprus has been highlighted by the tourists as an important pull factor as well. One tourist asserted for us, Cyprus was somewhere in the middle, as when we first met I travelled from Malta and my wife from Russia. Also, a tourist from the UK, which constitutes a key target market of Cyprus, stated I chose Cyprus due to the short flight time. Ioannides et al. (2001) and

Apostolopoulos et al. (2001) affirm that the proximity of the southern Mediterranean to the European market is an important attribute of the islands. Additionally, Aguil et al. (2005) discovered that the tourists visiting the Balearic Islands10 have highlighted the ease of travel as an important motive for visiting the islands. Thus, the proximity of Cyprus to its main issuing markets such as the UK is a significant pull factor. Furthermore, the analysis has indicated that the Cypriot people in particular, are also a complimentary pull factor for tourists visiting the island. One tourist stated an important factor was the friendly reputation of Cypriots. Also, another tourist highlighted the friendliness of the Cypriot people as an influencing factor.
10

The Balearics Islands are located in the Mediterranean periphery.

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Saveriades (2000) has identified the traditional, warmth and friendliness of the Cypriot people as a factor that tourists seek from Cyprus as a destination. Additionally, Ayres (200) affirms that the Cypriots friendliness and warmth has always been an important contributing factor in the tourists satisfaction level. Faceto-face experiences of tourists play a significant role in establishing the perceived quality of the service offered (Ayres 2000). Therefore, as the hospitality of Cypriots has been discovered as a complimentary pull factor, it is crucial for Cypriots to maintain this image that they have in order to contribute to the satisfaction level of the tourists. Another pull factor that has been identified by the data analysis is that Cyprus is English friendly, as a tourist asserted. Two more tourists noted that Cyprus is an English speaking country and thought it would be easier to communicate. As Sharpley (2001) observed, due to the fact that English is widely spoken on the island, the appeal of Cyprus increases for British nationals. Only two tourists emphasized that the cultural and historical aspects of Cyprus were pull factors, with one tourist stating we were really interested in cultural things as well. Another tourist emphasized, the weather in general and some historical aspects of the island. The pull factors that have been identified by the analysis are the external, situational and cognitive factors that influence the decision-making process of the tourists. More specifically, these pull factors could attract the tourists to the specific destination due to the destinations attributes (Lam and Hsu 2004). These pull motivations could aid in explaining the reason behind the destination choice (Lam and Hsu 2004). Thus, it is important for Cyprus to be aware of the pull factors that attract the tourists, in order to promote these attributes to the tourists.

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These factors pull the tourists towards Cyprus. However, it could be argued that the cultural and historical pull factors transform to a push factor as tourists want to increase their knowledge and a have a unique experience. Hence, the reasons that they chose Cyprus were more emotional and internal. In other words, tourists are pushed by internal factors; socio-psychological motivations that create the desire for people to travel such as the need for knowledge (Lam and Hsu 2004). As a tourist asserted I believed that Cyprus was a different place to visit. Push factors are defined in the literature as factors that fulfil the internal needs of tourists, such as relaxation, knowledge, escape, developing social relationships as well as gaining unique and real experiences (Lee 2009; Yoon and Uysal 2005). The analysis indicates that Cyprus is a destination that could fulfil these internal motivations that tourists have. All tourists highlighted that relaxation was a key psychological benefit that made them go on holiday, and choose Cyprus. As one tourist asserted I came to Cyprus to relax and get some clarity of mind with another tourist stating this holiday is just for relaxation. The relaxation that Cyprus could offer to the tourists, also fulfils the need to escape from the daily routine of ones life. Lee (2009) discovered that relaxation and escape are two push

motivations that push people to take part in tourism activities. In addition, four tourists visited Cyprus in order to enhance their knowledge and have a unique experience. A tourist affirmed it was education and relaxation just to see how different people live. Hence, the tourist chose Cyprus to experience the culture of the island and gain a unique experience. Another tourist stated relaxation plus cultural information, because I am really interested in the history and culture of different countries, with another asserting it is important for me to broaden the mind on other cultures. Therefore, education was an important
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psychological benefit that the tourists believed could gain from Cyprus, as Lee (2009) argues knowledge is another push factor that induces people to travel. Yoon and Uysal (2005) argue tourists travel in order to escape the everyday life and seek authentic experiences. Thus, it could be argued that Cyprus does have the necessary attributes to fulfil the internal need for the tourist to gain an authentic experience and knowledge. Push motivations, are the psychological factors that push the tourists away from home and create the desire to travel, and pull motivations, are the factors that pull the tourists towards a destination due to its specific attributes. Both push and pull motivations are crucial in the decision making process of the tourist. However, in order to increase the competiveness of Cyprus as a destination more attention should be paid on increasing the pull factors of Cyprus. As pull factors exert a pull on the tourist towards a specific destination (Lam and Hsu 2004). The above examination of the findings has shown that the two most important pull factors of Cyprus are not unique to the island, such as the climatic conditions and the location. Whereas, the secondary factors identified, of the traditional Cypriot hospitality, cultural aspects and the historical ties with Britain, could be argued that at a certain extent are unique to Cyprus. Increase in SIP could attract a larger market as the product offered would be enhanced, therefore, during the summer months more people could be attracted to Cyprus since a variety of unique experiences for the tourists would be offered. Consequently, these SIP could attract tourists during the winter as well, due to their year-round appeal. Thus, both pull and push factors could increase, therefore, the influence on the tourists decision-making process could increase. As Yoon and Uysal (2005) argue, the features of the destination could inspire and intensify inherent push
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factors, since, the activity offered or attributes of the destination may provide certain intrinsic rewards, for instance the beautiful scenery may intensify the feeling of escape from routine.

5.3. Selective Coding- Story Line: Theory induced from the data analysis
As most mature sun-and-sea mass Mediterranean islands, Cyprus is also facing many challenges to compete in the dynamic tourism industry. The seasonality that Cyprus is experiencing has been identified as a major concern, which creates many environmental problems, such as noise pollution and increased pressure on resources; economical problems, such as the loss of revenue for small tourism enterprises due to the inefficient use of resources; and social problems, such as seasonal employment. The CTO has identified strategies that could aid Cyprus to expand its tourism season, such as the financial incentives offered to independent air travel companies to encourage them to start operations in Cyprus, thus, improving accessibility; financial incentives given to hoteliers to keep their establishments open during the winter and to tour operators to continue some of their flights through the winter season. Additionally, new strategies are now in place in order to diversify and improve the quality of the tourism product, such as incentives for new SIP. Thus, taking into consideration the new post-Fordist consumption trends, where tourists are more experienced, more spontaneous, more volatile and more environmentally responsible, demand flexibility, independence, a variety of products and pursue unique experiences. However, many internal and external factors within the tourism sector have prevented Cyprus in achieving the necessary length of tourism season

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that could assist in the overall growth of the industry. These internal and external factors will be discussed below. The dependency of the tourism industry on tour operators and air travel companies for tourist flow are two factors that were evident in all public/private sector interviews as a causal factor of seasonality. The power of tour operators within the industry has been highlighted as a major contributor factor to seasonality as the scheduled charter flights of the tour operators are discontinued by the end of October, thus, prevents the development of winter tourism. In addition, insufficient numbers of air travel companies operating in Cyprus as well as the limited number of frequent scheduled flights to the island over the winter season, prevent the destination to diminish seasonality. Furthermore, the dependency on the one-dimensional tourism product of the sun-and-sea has created an image that is stereotypical and highly substitutable. In particular, the image of Cyprus is based on its sunny weather, long sandy beaches and picturesque scenery, that is, on the sun-and-sea product. However, these attributes, to be precise this product, that the image is based on can be found in many Mediterranean destinations. Therefore, the narrow sun-and-sea image does not encompass any unique attributes that could distinguish Cyprus from its competitors. Also, this sun-and-sea image is highly seasonal, which again precludes the development of winter tourism. Additionally, the inadequate coordination and cooperation within the public sector was evident in all data. Government rigidity and extensive bureaucracy delayed the necessary actions that needed to be taken to assist in the correct and prompt tourism development and product diversification. Most public/private sector

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respondents pointed to the lack of a coordinating body that could facilitate the implementation of the strategies. This unsatisfactory level of coordination and cooperation within the public sector has prohibited the sufficient level of coordination, cooperation and communication between the private and public sector as well as the local communities. Hence, the product diversification process has been obstructed. Moreover, the insufficient tourism knowledge of governmental bodies has led to the misinterpretation of tourism practice, in relation to the sustainability model. In turn, this has led to the insufficient tourism awareness of the private sector and the local communities with regards to tourists demands, their behaviour towards the tourists and the way they operate their establishments as well as their environmental awareness. Consequently, delaying and even preventing the successful

diversification process. Cyprus is a large island with a pool of history and the essential geographical characteristics to lengthen its tourism season by diversifying its tourism product in order to develop winter tourism. However, the factors mentioned above precluded the process of successful product diversification, and in turn, addressing the current tourists demands and tackling seasonality.

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6. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1. Conclusion
The purpose of this research project was to investigate the extent that Cyprus, a mature mass sun-and-sea Mediterranean destination, can become a successful winter destination. Thus, offering Cyprus the necessary provisions to address seasonality. Accordingly, to tackle this aim the researcher identified the motivational factors of tourists visiting Cyprus, in order to determine the motives that could attract tourists during the winter season. Additionally, the degree that policy-makers in Cyprus are pursuing the repositioning of the island from a summer to a winter destination was examined. Lastly, the research focused on determining whether the product is available to facilitate the repositioning process. The research followed a qualitative interpretive inductive approach, which used Cyprus as a case study in order to address the aim and objectives of the project. Furthermore, interviews were employed, as the data collection tool, so as to collect rich qualitative data and grounded theory was used as the selective analysis procedure. Three types of respondents were interviewed, individuals from the public and private sector and tourists, in order to gain a more complete representation of the phenomena. The qualitative interpretive inductive approach allowed the researcher to view the world from the interviewees perspective, hence, gaining a better understanding of the decision-making process of the interviewees. By following a qualitative inductive approach no hypotheses were generated that could restrict the researcher. Thus, emphasis was put on discovering and clarifying the unique features that Cyprus has, as well as concluding to more interesting and unexpected results.

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Therefore, to fulfil the purpose of the study, the research reviewed literature on coastal tourism development, tourism product and tourist consumer behaviour. The findings highlighted a number of issues within the Cypriot tourism industry that need to be addressed in order for Cyprus to effectively develop winter tourism. Firstly, a presentation of these issues will ensue. Later, recommendations derived from the literature reviewed and the researchers own thoughts and scholarly knowledge will be offered in order to tackle these issues. Seasonality has been attributed many environmental, social and economical problems in Cyprus. Seasonality is not only linked with the decrease in revenue for the individual business owner during the winter season, but also with the reduced financial income for Cyprus as a whole. A major social issue that has been highlighted in all the interviews from the public/private sector is the seasonal employment, that affects the economic and social well-being of the people in the local community that most rely on tourism as a source of income. Additionally, shortage of workforce and the reliance on foreign employees during the high tourism season is thought to contribute to the decrease in quality of the tourism product offered. This is due to the difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified employees. The highly seasonal nature of the tourism industry has made tourism professionals to view tourism as temporary rather a year-round operation. Thus, pushing them to pursue quick profit and ignoring sustainable tourism practices. This causes many issues regarding the overstretching of the natural environment of Cyprus, such as traffic congestion, noise pollution and so on. Therefore, seasonality negatively affects the quality of the tourism product offered as well as the satisfaction of the tourist. The findings suggest that all public/private sector respondents perceive that extending the tourism season would only generate positive
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outcomes for the industry, and Cyprus as a whole. Since, the target market will mostly be mature tourists, aged 55 and over, who are mostly interested in SIP, which are thought to be closer to the sustainability concept (Bramwell 2004). Therefore, it is crucial for Cyprus to address the issues that prevent the destination to lengthen its tourism season, in order to gain the benefits of an extended tourism season. These issues will be presented below. One vital challenge within the industry is the inadequate coordination within the public sector, namely the CTO, which is responsible for the tourism development in Cyprus, and other governmental departments. The insufficient coordination within the public sector delays any type of tourism development as well as the decision making process. All public/private sector respondents identified that the many hindrances in the tourism industry, regarding the development of new products and tourism policy, stems from the rigidity of the government and the extensive bureaucracy that exists within governmental departments. Furthermore, the findings also determined that hindrances are also caused by the lack of responsibility and laissez-faire attitude that dominates in the public sector. The ineffective governance model of the public sector, in relation to the insufficient pressure and control on civil servants, hinders the process in achieving the goals set regarding tourism development (Shipley and Kovacs 2008). Consequently, the insufficient internal coordination within the public sector, results in the inadequate coordination, cooperation and communication between the public and private sector. Responses varied on the level of communication and cooperation between the public and private sector. However, this is thought to be due to the position that the public sector respondents occupied within the CTO and subsequently the level of contact that they have with the private sector. More
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specifically, respondents working in the head office asserted that the communication and cooperation is at a good level but public sector respondents at regional offices did not agree. Thus, it is thought that the cooperation, communication and coordination between the public and private sector, at a corporate level is not conveyed at the operational level. Therefore, precluding the sufficient cooperation, communication and coordination between public/private sectors. Additionally, it is apparent that the individual interests of each party complicate the issue further. Since, each party is looking to facilitate the success of their own sectors rather than Cyprus as a whole. It is reasonable that all parties will have different interests; however, it is crucial that the CTO harmonizes these interests into homogenous goals to succeed in developing the winter season. Hence, the findings show that internal cooperation, coordination and communication are vital in order to develop the winter season and address seasonality. An unexpected finding that derived from the analysis is the insufficient awareness among the public/private sectors and the local communities, which is thought as a detrimental factor to the process of product diversification. This was an unexpected finding, since, Cyprus is an established destination. However, it seems that the stakeholders were not able to enhance their tourism awareness through the years, regarding the new consumption and production trends, to prevent decline. Awareness of tourism practices, especially, for the public sector is crucial in order to promote sustainability within the tourism development process and in turn create a more successful tourism industry. However, the findings revealed that people within the public sector in Cyprus, especially managers holding key positions, do not have the necessary knowledge to promote sustainable tourism practices. It can

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be suggested that the insufficient tourism awareness of the public sector, in turn affects the tourism awareness of the private sector and the local communities. Since, it is the responsibility of the destinations management organisation to encourage tourism awareness and sustainable practices within the tourism industry (Byrd 2007). Hence, the CTO is responsible for the awareness of the private sector and the local communities. Consequently, the insufficient level of tourism awareness leads to the misinterpretation of tourism practices among all stakeholders in Cyprus. The dependency of the tourism industry on a small number of tour operators and air travel companies has been identified as a detrimental factor in tackling the problem of seasonality. As most Mediterranean islands, Cyprus as well, relies heavily on tour operators and independent carriers for tourist flow. However, the problem is intensified due to the dependency on only a small number of tour operators and air travel companies. The findings indicate that tour operators and air travel companies discontinue most of their scheduled flights during the low season. Hence, significantly contributing to the seasonality that Cyprus is experiencing, since, the considerable number of tourist arrivals that they transport seizes in the winter months. Therefore, any actions that are taken from the public sector to create a yearround destination and/or diversifying the product are considered to be negatively affected, by the insufficient number of scheduled flights from tour operators and air travel companies. As, this considerably reduces accessibility to the island. In turn, this reduced accessibility, creates difficulties for independent travellers to visit Cyprus over the winter season.

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In addition, the dependency on the one-dimensional sun-and-sea tourism product of Cyprus is identified as another important element that negatively affects the development of winter tourism. This reliance has resulted in Cyprus falling behind on the product diversification process, with regards to the infrastructure developed for new SIP. The dependency on the highly seasonal sun-and-sea products only intensifies seasonality. Given that, this has driven Cyprus to rely on the one market that can targeted through this product, the sun-and-sea market. Thus, the destination was not able to target the various markets that demand SIP, such as maritime, sport, conference and alternative forms of tourism, such as cultural, nature etc. Consequently, the dependency on the sun-and-sea product has created a stereotypical image of Cyprus that is extremely seasonal and where Cyprus can be easily replaced by another destination. Since, the image that tourists have is based mostly on the characteristics of Cyprus, common attributes and functional features, such as the long beaches, sunny weather, restaurants and so on. However, these can be found in many Mediterranean destinations. Furthermore, tourists were unaware of any activities that they could pursue during the winter months, or any unique experiences that they could have in Cyprus, since, they only associated Cyprus with hot summer weather. Thus, the researcher argues that the image of Cyprus as a sun-and-sea destination can be thought as a hindrance in the diversification process. However, the findings highlight that the new promotion strategies from the CTO are aiming in diversifying the image of Cyprus as an exclusively sun-and-sea destination. As, in the new marketing campaigns both the traditional tourism product and the new SIP will be promoted, in order to encourage the tourist to think of Cyprus as something more that sun-and-sea.
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This can aid in increasing the push and pull factors of tourists to visit Cyprus. Since, the findings revealed that the destinations push and pull factors are not thought to be unique. Tourists highlighted the weather and the location of Cyprus as the most important factors that would pull them towards the destination. In addition, the hospitality of Cypriots, some cultural aspects and the fact that English is widely spoken in Cyprus have been identified as complimentary pull factors by the tourists. These are cognitive, external and situational factors that would attract the tourists towards the specific destination (Cyprus), due to its attributes. However, push motivations are also important, in order to discover the psychological benefits that tourists seek in Cyprus. These push motivations push the tourists away from home and create the desire to travel, in order to gain psychological benefits. Tourists identified relaxation, escape from routine, knowledge and education as the most important push motivations that Cyprus offers. Push and pull motivations are vital for a destination to attract the tourist, however, the pull factors are the ones that would draw the tourists towards the specific destination. Yet, as it can be seen the primary pull factors of Cyprus are not unique to the island, on the contrary they are very common in the Mediterranean area. Although, the secondary factors, that is Cypriot hospitality, culture and historical ties with Britain, can be thought as relatively unique. Nevertheless, it can be suggested that the primary factors that would pull tourists to Cyprus are not rare and do not distinguish Cyprus from competitors. However, the push motivations identified indicate that Cyprus does have the necessary attributes to create unique experiences, as people escape their everyday life to pursue authentic experiences (Yoon and Uysal 2005). However, these unique experiences that tourists could gain

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from Cyprus need to be correctly communicated to the tourist, thus attracting them to the island. The findings suggest that the development of SIT and alternative forms of tourism is perceived to be a vital factor for winter tourism development. Since, tourists that are motivated by special interest activities can travel at any time during the year, in order to take part at a specific activity that they are interested in (Brotherton and Himmetoglou1997 cited in Trauer 2006). Thus, SIP do not depend on the season, as the current sun-and-sea product of Cyprus. However, in Cyprus, SIP are thought to be complimentary to the sun-and-sea product, rather than being promoted individually. The aim of the CTO is to enhance the current product and not to use these products to develop winter tourism. Although, the public sector individuals do believe that the appeal of the SIP will aid in attracting tourists of the winter season. Yet, developing winter tourism and tackling seasonality is thought to be more of an unplanned consequence from the aim to enrich the current sun-and-sea product. Nevertheless, Cyprus is an island that has the necessary characteristics and attributes to support the development of SIP. Still, the infrastructures needed are not there, in order to successfully offer the complete experience of these SIP. Although, some SIP infrastructure is available, such as the spa and wellness and golf product, there are many more special interest activities that Cyprus can offer such as maritime, conference and incentives, religious and so on. However, the

infrastructure for these SIP is still not available. Therefore, this is an issue that needs to be taken into account in order to improve the quality of the product and fulfil the demands of the new tourist, which can also aid in tackling seasonality.

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The research has also identified that SIP would influence the tourist to visit Cyprus during the winter season. The findings demonstrate that tourists visiting during the low season are more interested in special interest activities rather than the sun-and-sea product. Also, winter tourists are more likely to explore the destination, seeking unique experiences. Thus, the diversity of SIP can be a stimulus and encourage tourists to visit during the low season, as long as the product offered appealed to them personally. Additionally, the findings have determined special interest activities that tourists would seek to take part when visiting Cyprus and would be more appealing to them. Cultural activities, such as tours in the hinterland areas, or ancient sites, have been identified as the most appealing activity to tourists. Furthermore, tourists have indicated maritime activities and/or events as an appealing proposition that would encourage them to visit Cyprus. Sport activities and events are also thought to play an influencing role in the tourists decision-making process. Since, people travel at a specific time of the year, in order to attend a certain event, at a specific destination (Butler 1994 cited in Koening-Lewis and Bischoff 2005). Thus, sporting events are crucial for the development of winter tourism. Lastly, eco-friendly activities, such as trekking, agrotourism, climbing etc., are also activities that would interest tourists to pursue in Cyprus. As tourists, are more likely to pursue activities closer to nature and an unpolluted environment during the winter season. Lastly, tourists are more likely to explore the hinterland areas during the off-peak season when the main tourism product of the sun-and-sea is not at its best.

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The findings of the research project, presented above, demonstrate that there are many challenges that Cyprus needs to address, in order to successfully develop winter tourism. Therefore, below the researcher will recommend actions that need to be taken to assist Cyprus in the diversification process, thus, tackling seasonality.

6.2. Recommendations
Addressing the challenges mentioned above is crucial for the successful development of winter tourism. Thus, it is vital for the government to improve their model of governance through introducing a more efficient control system. This will not only improve the behaviour of civil servants, in terms of their responsibilities, but also facilitate the process of tourism development. Since, a good governance model is vital for effective organisational performance (Shipley and Kovacs 2008). In addition, the government should reconsider the methods that they use to choose individuals within the CTO and other governmental bodies linked to tourism. It is reasonable that tourism involves politics and power (Elliot 1997a). However, the tourism sector is an important part of the economy in Cyprus, thus, the process of selecting individuals should be based on merit. Currently, the CTO is the only cooperating body which addresses solely tourism issues. Unfortunately, the findings have revealed that the CTO does not have the necessary knowledge or authority to control or facilitate the decision-making process on any tourism development issues, such as product development or tourism policy. Therefore, it would be beneficial for the government to create or appoint a coordinating body that has all the necessary knowledge, authority and resources, in order to be responsible only for tourism related issues. The government could give

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more authority and resources to the CTO or create a new governmental/semigovernmental body to address the current tourism challenges. A coordinating body, exclusively responsible to facilitate tourism development, with the necessary capacity, in terms of knowledge and understanding of its employees, resources and authority will ensure a better management of tourism (Churugsa et al. 2007). This will improve the coordination and cooperation within the public sector. Consequently, the communication, cooperation and coordination between the public and private sector as well as the local communities will be improved. This in turn, will ease the process of new product development and the implementation of strategies that will assist in developing winter tourism. The research revealed that there is insufficient awareness among the public/private sector and the local communities. The misinterpretation of tourism practices, regarding sustainability, from governmental bodies in Cyprus, negatively affects the product diversification process, that will aid to meet the current tourists demands and tackle seasonality. The public sector should use its resources to educate the private sector and local communities on the current tourism consumption trends, as well as increase their tourism awareness in general and encourage involvement in the development process. This can be either offering financial incentives, educational seminars and so one, thus, encouraging them to invest in the tourism industry. Consequently, facilitating the process of product diversification. This will not only aid in gaining support on tourism development issues but it will improve the behaviour the stakeholders towards the tourists. Additionally, the reliance on a few tour operators and air travel companies has been identified as hindrance in tackling seasonality. Therefore, Cyprus should

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focus on decreasing its dependency on the small number of tour operators and air travel companies for tourism flow. The CTO is currently providing financial incentives for independent carriers to start operations in Cyprus, in order to increase the number of air travel companies. This strategy is thought to be an effective strategy in decreasing the reliance on the small number of tour operators as well as air travel companies. Thus, increasing the number of ticket-only sales, rather than increasing the number of charter flights which will again drive Cyprus to rely on tour operators. This will not only improve accessibility but it will satisfy the demand of the new tourists who want independence and flexibility when travelling abroad (Aguilo et al. 2005). Furthermore, increasing the number of carriers operating in Cyprus will increase competition, thus, a more competitive price will be offered. Nevertheless, for this strategy to be successful the current product has to be improved and new products have to be created, in order to increase the pull motivations towards the island, thus, increasing the tourism flow during the winter. Since, an insufficient tourism flow will compel the air travel companies to discontinue their flights. Such action will also decrease the dependency on the sunand-sea tourism product, which has been identified as a barrier in addressing seasonality, as it is highly seasonal and substitutable. The diversification of the product, focusing on SIP, will assist Cyprus to match the demands of specific markets as well as tackle seasonality (Bramwell 2004). Given that, SIP have been identified, by the literature and this research project, as key in lengthening the tourism season, due to the greater appeal that they have on a variety of markets. Also, the special interest activity that the tourist will be interested in becomes the primary driver of the trip and the season takes a secondary role.

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Accordingly, Cyprus would be able to meet new consumption trends of the new tourist, where they are highly diverse, more experienced, environmentally aware, they are seeking to learn about the culture and heritage of places and pursing unique, authentic experiences. Also, the diversification of the product will improve the value for money proposition for the winter tourist, when the sun-and-sea product is not at its best. Moreover, it is critical for Cyprus to increase its pull factors. Given that, the most important pull motivations identified by the tourists, namely the climatic conditions and location, are not unique to the island. Hence, these factors do not differentiate Cyprus from other Mediterranean destinations. Therefore, by increasing the number of products offered, Cyprus can increase the pull motivations to the island. Since, pull factors will attract the tourist towards the specific destination (Lam and Hsu 2004). Developing SIP would increase the pull factors of Cyprus, since, Cyprus will not only depend on the sun-and-sea product for tourism flow. In addition, the yearround special interest activities would improve seasonality as well. Accordingly, to facilitate the process of tackling seasonality, the research project has identified SIP that would be more appealing to tourists during the winter season. Tourists have highlighted that during the winter season, cultural activities, such as events with folklore music, or theatre etc., would be appealing to them. Also, maritime activities, such as snorkelling, diving or events such as competitions, would attract tourists over the winter. In addition, Cyprus should focus on eco-friendly activities, such as nature tours. Exploring the hinterland areas was another appealing proposition to the

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tourists, for instance exploring Troodos mountains. Therefore, Cyprus, should focus on developing its cultural, maritime and alternative tourism such as agrotourism, nature, ecotourism and so on. Thus, it is vital that all relating infrastructure is developed, in order to offer the complete experience to the tourist. As these products, are thought to be the most appealing to the winter tourist. The sun-and-sea image of Cyprus has been determined as a hindrance in the diversification process. Therefore, in order for the repositioning process to be successful, Cyprus should communicate these new SIP to the tourists, through advertising campaigns, by informing tour operators, travel agencies, or independently through e-marketing and so on. Thus, altering the secondary image of the tourist, that is the highly seasonal sun-and-sea image. Given that, the secondary image of the tourist is formed through such vehicles (Beerli and Martn 2004). Moreover, the current promotion campaign of Cyprus is focusing on the SIP that is offering. However, in order to effectively tackle seasonality Cyprus should also focus on targeting and serving specific segments of the low season market. Since, due to the diversity of the market, efforts on attracting particular segments of the market are likely to be more successful, rather than attracting and serving the winter tourist in general (Spencer and Holecek 2007). It is important that the diversification process of the image coincides with the development of the essential infrastructure needed to offer the complete experience, in order to avoid dissatisfaction. Cyprus is a destination that will always promote the sun-and-sea product, and will always be its best attribute. However, the island also has the necessary characteristics to lengthen its tourism season and tackle seasonality. Nonetheless, the issues mentioned above should be taken into consideration, in order to successfully develop winter tourism.
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To conclude, the findings of this research and recommendations are only representative of the Cypriot tourism industry and limited to this sector alone. However, it is possible to assume that due to the similar tourism challenges that developed mature sun-and-sea Mediterranean islands are facing, these findings may be indicative of similar tourism issues occurring in other Mediterranean destinations offering more or less the same product. Therefore, the recommendations made for the Cypriot tourism industry may be helpful to these other destinations. Finally, the findings regarding SIP that would attract winter tourists should be taken with some caution, since, tourists visiting during the summer season seek other benefits and have different motivations than tourists visiting during the winter season. Thus, it would be beneficial if other research studies were undertaken during the winter season, to compare and contrast the findings, and advice Cyprus on further actions to be taken.

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diversification: the case of Cyprus. Tourism management, 23 (2), 233244.

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8. APPENDICES
Appendix A- Different forms and states of tourism activity11
Approach Forms of tourism Conventional Tourism Sun, sea, and sand tourism (3S) New forms of tourism Alternative forms of tourism Agrotousim Ecotourism Cultural Trekking Nature Special Interest tourism Conference Business trips Maritime Religious Health/Spa Educational Sport Adventure Small groups of tourists Individuals Social tourism Responsibility Use of resources (not consumption) Green tourism Economically sustainable tourism Sustainable tourism

Mountain (winter) tourism

Mode of organisation

Mass tourism Individuals Social tourism Second residence Indifference High consumption (depletion of resources) Non-sustainable tourism

Tourist behaviour

State of tourism activity

11

Source: Spilannis and Vayiannis (2004 p. 271)

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Appendix B- Psychographic personality types12

12

Source: Plog (2001 cited in Liu et al. 2008 p.261)

191

Appendix C- Units and beds in operation in Cyprus 200813

Hotels 5-1 star Hotel Apts Tourist villages Units Beds Units Beds Units Beds Lefkosia 14 2.112 2 130 Lemesos 38 9.842 20 1.126 2 320 Larnaka 22 4.404 28 1.696 Agia Napa 45 10.334 57 5.42 7 2.176 Paralimni 27 7.136 65 7.853 2 694 Pafos 59 17.284 37 3.294 11 3.622 Hill Resorts 20 1.719 Cyprus 225 52.795 209 19.519 22 6.812 Area Tourist villas Tourist Apts Trad. Buildings Other* Units Beds Units Beds Units Beds Units Beds 7 54 14 524 24 189 8 1.608 1 66 9 360 49 427 2 60 5 436 65 2.504 1 16 4 78 1 4 140 1.189 22 1.692 36 274 8 1.457 7 89 10 245 146 1.691 114 5.158 123 1.033 30 3.39 Area total Units Beds 23 2.296 106 13.609 111 7.013 180 20.886 99 15.765 313 28.776 37 2.053 869 90.0398

Other: Hotels without star, Guesthouses, Furnished Apartments and Camping sites.

13

Source: CTO (2008a p.3)

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Appendix D - Revenue from tourism, tourist arrivals annually and average length of stay (2001- 2008)14

Year

Revenue (in Euro million)

Tourist Arrivals

Average Length of stay (Days)

2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

1,810 1, 878 1, 772 1, 733 1, 688 1, 743 1, 941 2, 182

2. 403. 750 2. 416. 081 2. 400. 924 2. 470. 057 2. 349. 007 2. 303. 243 2. 418. 233 2. 696. 732

10,1 10,0 10,4 10,4 10,7 10,9 11,1 10,3

14

Source: CTO (2008a p. 2-3)

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Appendix E - Tourist arrivals by month for 2006-200815

Tourist Arrivals by month Jan Year 2008 50.66 Feb 70.14 Mar 108.17 April 271.56 May 307.24 Jun 342.55 July 328.1 Aug 328.1 Sept 305.35 Oct 267.87 Nov 97.9 Dec Total 72.13 2.403.750 100%

Month Share 2.10% 2.90% 4.50% Year 2007 51.85 63.1 104.32

7.60% 11.30% 12.80% 14.30% 13.60% 12.70% 11.10% 4.10% 3/0% 189.31 273.06 282.47 352.42 340.53 315.44 275.1 94.74

73.74 2.416.081 100%

Month Share 2.10% 2.60% 4.30% Year 2006 54.88 66.15 107.07

7.80% 11.30% 11.70% 14.60% 14.10% 13.10% 11.40% 3.90% 3.10% 206.55 283.51 280.16 341.44 314.87 296.53 283.05 95.68

71.02 2.400.924 3% 100%

Month Share 2.30% 2.80% 4.50%

8.60% 11.80% 11.70% 14.20% 13.10% 12.40% 11.80% 4.00%

15

Source: CTO (2008a p.3)

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Appendix F Arrivals by country of usual residence16

Tourist arrivals by country of usual residence Country United Kingdom Germany Greece Sweden Norway Finland Denmark France Switzerland Netherlands Belgium Austria Italy Ireland Spain Russia Poland Hungary Czech Republic Other Europe Arab Countries Gulf Countris Israel USA Canada Australia Other Countries All Countries 2008 1,242,635 132,058 133,015 124,948 63,470 32,333 38,216 36,099 38,560 26,302 26,368 26,620 16,859 23,632 3,641 180,926 20,358 9,641 20,027 71,773 23,513 26,163 32,034 21,117 5,512 11,506 16,404 2007 1,282,873 138,451 139.815 120,989 53,442 21,461 34,759 41.394 41,407 26,650 23,174 24,359 19,225 35,875 4,118 145,921 16,669 10,086 20,972 68,545 26,662 26,640 34,205 23,744 5,625 10,742 18,725 2006 1,360,136 152,808 126, 768 94,028 50, 664 30,333 30,802 37,779 41,337 28,210 24,267 23,788 17,865 47,463 4,218 114,763 13,707 11,458 18,764 44,530 22,296 18,946 34,197 20,048 5,194 12,061 14,494 2008/2007( %) 2008/2006 (%) -3.10 -4.60 -4.90 3.30 18.80 50.70 9.90 -12.80 -6.90 -1.30 13.80 9.30 -12.30 -34.10 -11.60 24.00 22.00 -4.40 -4.50 4.70 -11.80 -1.80 -6.30 -11.10 -2.00 7.10 -12.40 -0.50 -8.60 -13.60 4.90 32.90 25.30 6.60 24.10 -4.40 -6.70 -6.80 8.70 11.90 -5.60 -50.20 -13.70 57.70 48.50 -15.90 6.70 61.20 5.50 38.10 -6.30 5.30 6.10 -4.60 13.20 0.10

2.403,750 2.416.081 2,400,924

16

Source: CTO (2008a p.2)

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Appendix G Location of stay17

Location of Stay of Tourists in 2008 Location of Stay Country United Kingdom Germany Switzerland France Netherlands Belgium Austria Italy Ireland Greece Sweden Denmark Finland Norway Russia Israel USA Other Countries All countries Paralimni Agia Napa Larnaka Lemesos Pafos Lefkosia Elsewhere 19.1 8.6 11 10.5 3.5 2.3 9.5 10.4 11.2 1.9 39.8 24.5 20.5 41.9 3 1.9 1.6 5.2 15.7 9.2 26.3 61.4 4.9 14.5 3.3 32.7 24.4 30.2 1.3 48.1 38.4 28.6 46.1 29.7 20.7 2.9 11.5 16.6 7.2 14.6 5.2 11 7.5 4.8 15.9 9.2 8.9 13.1 6.3 6.1 6.7 4.7 7.3 22.6 17.5 20.2 9.4 8.2 11.1 6.5 23 9.9 11.7 14.1 14.3 14.9 27.4 1.8 2.7 17 1.7 35.7 22.1 25.3 24.1 13.2 50.3 30 8.2 26.2 51.6 66.7 19.2 19.3 29.8 8.4 1.8 25.8 23.9 4.2 19.8 9.3 9.5 15.9 34.6 1.8 2.7 2.3 9.6 3.5 6.9 2.6 14.6 2.1 40.9 0.9 1.3 1.3 0.5 2.8 13.3 26 14.2 5.7 3.2 3.1 2.2 3.1 3.7 1.7 2.1 2.5 2 3.1 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.7 5.2 6.1 2.8 2.7 More than one location 0.9 3.7 3.2 11.7 5.9 2.5 3.8 11.2 1 3.9 0.9 1 1.7 0.6 1 4.9 11.1 6.2 2.2

17

Source: CTO (2008a p.4)

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Appendix H- CTOs organisational structure

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Appendix I 1 An example of a coded interview (Private sector participant)

1. How do you perceive the current tourism industry in Cyprus in terms of success? I would say without any hesitation that the current industry in Cyprus is been recording a decline for the last seven or eight years and this is justified from the statistical data that demonstrate both on the indices of tourist arrivals as well as the index foreign exchange revenues from tourists that we are following a declining trend and therefore, The challenge is there how we will nurse this negative trends that we are experiencing in the last few years. 2. Why do you believe that Cyprus is going through a declining trend? What do you think are the reasons? The reason is that we have lost significant ground regarding the competitiveness of the tourism product and the crucial criterion on the value for money [code: lost significant ground regarding the competitiveness of the tourism product and the crucial criterion on the value for money, concept: loss of value for money] that once back on the decade of the early 1990s it was a strong competitive advantage of Cyprus, the value for money proposition, now it has become one of our greatest weaknesses [code: it was a strong competitive advantage of Cyprus, the value for money proposition, no it has become one of our greatest weaknesses, concept: loss of value for money]. So we are not up to giving value for money as we have gradually become and tourists consider us one of the most expensive destinations within the Mediterranean basin, therefore the tourists that we are attracting are discovering that, in their opinion they are not really getting the value for money that they have spent [code: not really getting the value for money that they have spent, concept: loss of value for money] for having their holidays in Cyprus. 3. Are there any economical, social and environmental issues that need to be addressed in Cyprus in relation to tourism? There are a lot of the three aspects such as basic needs that need to be addressed [ code: basic needs that need to be addressed, concept: current tourism product] both
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in the grounds of economical so as to increase our competitiveness on the social the creation of jobs that the industry both indirectly and directly is the main generator [code: social the creation of jobs that the industry both indirectly and directly is the main generator, concept: social impact of tourism] to the economy. And on the environmental aspect as well in order to improve the image of the experience of the holiday in Cyprus [code: improve the image of the experience of the holiday in Cyprus, concept: current tourism product problems] that we portray and definitely the image that we see in the various tourist areas and resorts, they lack the uniqueness of identity and unique character that one is looking to experience when they visit a country or a destination [code: lack the uniqueness of identity and unique character that one is looking to experience when they visit a country or a destination, concept: current tourism product problems]. 4. So you believe that the social impact in Cyprus is making Cypriots lose their identity the Cypriot spirit that tourists are looking for [code: the social impact in Cyprus is making Cypriots lose their identity the Cypriot spirit that tourists are looking for, concept: social impact of tourism]? One aspect of the social impact, and the other dimension that needs to be addressed is the issue of the contribution of the tourist industry in the socioeconomic prosperity of the people of the island [code: contribution of the tourist industry in the socioeconomic prosperity of the people of the island, concept: social impact of tourism]. By providing jobs, as well as by providing jobs in other sectors of the economy [code: providing jobs as well as providing jobs in other sectors of the economy, concept: social impact of tourism] in view of the multi-trial effect of the other industry on the other sectors of the economy. 5. Just to clarify, due to the model that we have used before of mass tourism and value for money, has resulted in the issues that you have just mentioned? Yes, indirectly thats correct. 6. What level of involvement do other major stakeholders, such as hotel associations, employees associations, restaurant associations, tour
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operators and travel agents association have in the decision processes in relation to the tourism policies and strategies determined in Cyprus? And why this is the case? Something that we have to mention and we are proud of is that all stakeholders in the tourist industry have good cooperation [code: all stakeholders in the tourist industry have good cooperation, concept: internal cooperation] and have cooperated ten years back on the development of the so called strategic plan of the tourist evolution of the island with a 10 year time plan. So the coordination, cooperation is there [code: the coordination, cooperation is there, concept: internal cooperation] but what we are lacking is what we have come as a consensus in the form of a strategic plan has made a good marketing strategic plan on paper, but it has not been transformed into the implementation stage [code: strategic plan has made a good marketing strategic plan on paper, but it has not been transformed into the implementation stage, concept: strategic plan], where we can see all the areas of the either the enrichment profits or to give the added value to the tourist product or the implementation of such policies, as fiscal and other measures that the government paid so as to give the incentives to the industry to proceed with the partaking of the hotels, on the overall tourist product .... So for those there is consensus and cooperation between the stakeholders in the planning stage and this has been materialised, what the actual plans of action that they were entailed in the strategic plan they have failed to produce the desired projects and products of the tourist .... because of this the effect it be seen by the answer that was here .... Yes there is a strategic plan. The prime objective is to make sure that the contribution of the tourist industry to the overall economic development of the island will be always an upward trend. Because of the contribution we have not seen this happen actually we have seen the opposite to happen. From the tourist industry while between the year of 2000-2001 the industry was contributing 21% to the GDP of Cyprus this has been diminished and has now been only 11% to the GDP the contribution of the tourist industry. So we are experiencing an evidently diminishing and declining trend, moving away from the prime objective that the tourist industry was suppose to fulfil. 7. Do you believe that the objectives of the strategic plan have been met?
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No the objectives have not been met. 8. What issues, if any, need to be addressed in order to offer the best possible tourism product? The most important issue which covers all the related issues is accountability [code: accountability, concept: lack of coordination within authorities]. As long there is no accountability there is no hope in seeing the necessary improvements in the future in the tourist product [code: as long as there is no accountability there is no hope in seeing the necessary improvements in the future in the tourist product, concept: reasons for failure of the strategic plan] . The tourist area by its nature is as multi facet activity, which necessitates the input and coordination between numerous departments of the government, of the semi-governmental organisations such as the CTO, and all the various governmental departments have a role and input in the implementation of the strategic plan of the tourist industry. So as long as the plan of action that we have developed the strategic plan have a time schedule of implementation for each of the projects that were entailed in the plans of action, and we dont see any progressed made, and the officials responsible for that have not received a punishment for not finishing what was expected of them then we do not have accountability. And when you see this officials not being penalised for not doing their job and extending the timelines of the schedules of the implementation of the various projects[ code: officials not being penalised for not doing their job and extending the timelines of the schedules of the implementation of the various projects, concept: reasons for failure of the strategic plan] and on the contrary you see them following their normal path of professional progress and get promotions, you start thinking what is going on here. If this was happening in the private sector, if I was responsible for the projects and delaying them I wouldnt be in my position the next day. But this is not happening between civil servants and the government organisations. So, this has not helped. Because of the nature of the tourist industry we are dependent on the accountability of the civil servants and the various government departments[code: dependent on the accountability of the civil servants and the various government departments, concept: problems of coordination within authorities ] and we do not see the accountability we are not optimistic that things will move with the pace that we anticipate in the tourist industry. As far as our association is concerned we have submitted numerous memos and reports and
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recommendations to the various ministers and government departments, even to the president of the republic, suggesting that the only hope of improving the ills of the industry and etc is to take a political decision [code: take political decision, concept: improvement of coordination within authorities] and say that I will appoint a project manager for each of the projects entailed in the strategic plan with a specific budget that is required, a time schedule that is needed for the implementation and proper supervision[code: proper supervision, concept: improvement of coordination within authorities] to see that the project will be done in time. Otherwise, to get the responsibilities of this project manager removed and be held accountable. If this does not happen and this approach is not implemented then we will continue to see this declining trend without much hope. Sad news but this is the truth and as an association we see that we are repeating the same mistakes [code: repeating the same mistakes, concept: problems of coordination within authorities]. 9. What does the term quality mean for you? Quality has many interpretations, in our view quality comprises of three words value for money [code: quality comprises of three words value for money, concept: loss of value for money]. So once you give value for money then you give quality, so whatever the expectation of the consumer or whatever the tourist is buying, if you provide satisfaction then the consumer says yes it was worth the money I have spent. So quality you can deliver and you must deliver at whatever cost. Quality is not the five-star hotel it can be a one-star quality hotel, it can be a complex of tourist apartments quality as long as they provide value for money for their respective clientele. So, this is the notion we understand of quality and Cyprus can offer and be established as a quality destination [code: Cyprus can offer and be established as a quality destination, concept: physical assets of Cyprus] as long as it offers the overall experience to the visitor, if they leave the island satisfied and feel that it was worth the money and time that they decided to allocate by spending their holidays, or hosting their conferences in Cyprus, or whatever the motivation that they made them come to our island. 10. In the strategic plan, quality is identified as a key concept in improving the competitive position of Cyprus. How do you as a policy-maker believe that quality will help?
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Quality is an inherent ingredient in order to re-establish the competitive position of Cyprus as a destination that offers value for money and as a holiday destination of a memorable experience. So we have accepted that the tourist industry internationally has evolved through the years from the 3Ss to the 3Es , education , experience and emotion [code: tourist industry international has evolved through the years from the 3Ss to the 3Es education, experience and emotion, concept: tourists consumption trends] . In a way the industry has been elevated from a materialistic to a more spiritual experience [code: spiritual experience, concept: tourists consumption trends] that the holiday travel entails. To leave the tourist once completing their holiday or their trip to say that I have gained something from my holidays as a human being, such as I have learned a new culture, new customs, new historical endeavours that I have experienced by visiting the various archaeological sites , in relation to cultural tourism. So as a human being I have been to a country that has enriched me as a person. Im not just a Scandinavian, or German, I live on this world with so many different cultures, so many different religions, different customs and habits but I have experienced them and learned to accept and respect and to say that I am in an evolution of being the most concerned with the nationals. 11. So quality is value for money in relation to the tourist product as a whole, therefore in the notion that you have about quality you consider the cultural and education to be related to the general tourist product? Yes not just the resort, it is the whole experience to travel through centuries, not just in the spam of a few days that you will be here. The whole experience gives you the opportunity to travel through the centuries and learn about the people of the country the history of the country, the culture it is the overall experience that we can give. 12. Is there a carrying capacity problem in Cyprus? I wouldnt generalise in the whole of Cyprus, I would say in certain areas, tourist areas, yes it seems that we have reached the carrying capacity of these specific tourist areas [code: certain areas, tourist areas, yes it seems that we have reached the carrying capacity of these specific tourist areas, concept: carrying capacity]. But as far as the whole island is concerned I believe there is room for expansion and development [code: I believe there is room for expansion, concept: carrying capacity] but always within the context of the balanced equilibrium between
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development and protection of the environment. So, there is a need of a more careful planning [code: careful planning, concept: responsibilities of stakeholders regarding the environment] of whatever future development that needs to take place. 13. Which areas would you say they have reached the carrying capacity? I would say the most popular and decentred and the key established tourist regions have reached their carrying capacity limitations and it covers all the most popular tourist areas [code: it covers all the most popular tourist areas, concept: carrying capacity] but in a degree in various regions there are still areas that could be rationally developed [code: rationally developed, concept: responsibilities of stakeholders regarding the environment] but always taking into serious consideration that these areas will not be developed in the expense of the environment and the nature of the island 14. Do you think that the current tourism development around the marina in Limassol and Larnaka, the new golf courses near the Larnaka area, will add to the problem of carrying capacity? How and why do you think they will or not add? I wouldnt say they would add to the problematic areas in relation to the carrying capacity because we are talking about projects that would enrich the tourist product and actually give a renovation to the already deteriorating areas of those specific regions [code: enrich the tourist product and actually give a renovation to the already deteriorating areas of those specific regions, concept: function of Special interest products (SIP)]. So by having lets say the unwanted area of the port of Limassol, or redevelop in a more rational manner and be an attraction, it could improve the quality of life not only for the visitors but for the local people too [code: improve the quality of life not only for the visitors but for the local people too, concept: function of SIP]. Then this is an upgrading of the environment and not the further deterioration of what has already been deteriorated. So, its an improvement, I would say a challenge and not a deteriorating development. 15. How do you believe that the current tourism development will affect the water resources of Cyprus?

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Here we have a myth [code: myth, concept: SIPs impact on resources] in the sense that ten years ago there was a notion between the various departments that the tourist is using a big portion of the water resources. There was a study that came out in cooperation with government and the local academia and the finding were astonishing. Actually the tourism industry consumes only 4% of the water resources [code: tourism industry consumes only 4% of the water resources, concept: SIPs impact on resources] of the island and the contribution of the sector to the local economy is many times than the proportion that it consumes from the water resources. The more extreme, result that I can mention is the agriculture sector that contributes only a minimal proportion, only 4% to the GDP of the island and consumes more than 60% of the water resources, so if you charge the consumption of the resources on a cost benefit analysis then you can see that the tourism industry consumes much less than it rationally deserves to consume. So the tourist industry is an efficient consumer of the water resources [code: the tourist industry is an efficient consumer of the water resources, concept: environmental impact of tourism]. 16. Cyprus is now promoting special interest tourism as an alternative to mass tourism. What are your thoughts on Cyprus being able to provide this new type of tourism? Is the infrastructure available? Does Cyprus need any new infrastructure? Generally, Cyprus does have the ingredients to attract special interest tourism [code: Cyprus does have the ingredients to attract special interest tourism, concept: physical assets of Cyprus], because we have a pool of history, of culture, of civilisation that goes through the centuries [code: pool of history, of culture, of civilisation that goes through the centuries, concept: physical assets of Cyprus ] and therefore we have a variety of experiences that the tourist can have in Cyprus because of the small geographical area of the island, you can find nature with so many different colours, from the mountains to the shore , all between an hours drive or so [code: from the mountains to the shore all between an hours drive or so, concept: physical assets of Cyprus]. Therefore, you can have so many different special interest tourism aspects that can be developed. But what needs to be done is the cooperation between all areas stakeholders for each special interest activity in order to develop the appropriate product [code: cooperation between all areas stakeholders for each special interest activity in order to develop the appropriate
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product, concept: improvement of coordination within authorities] that would be appealing to the specific target segment of this specific product. In addition to this of course, when you refer to sectors of special interest areas for example conferences and incentives, in order to have Cyprus being established and incorporated to the international map of the possible venues for large conferences with everything, the infrastructure needs to be updated [code: infrastructure needs to be updated, concept: current tourism infrastructure problems], to have purposefully built conference centres that could be in a position to not only to host but to host successfully such large conferences and combine the conference for example opportunity, as a stimulus, for creating commercial .... completion holidaymakers from the benefits of hosting a successful conference in Cyprus. So, there are synergies that can be discovered between the various special interest segments that can contribute to the overall evolution and further development of the tourist industry at large[ code: synergies that can be discovered between the various special interest segments that can contribute to the overall evolution and further development of the tourist industry at large, concept: function of SIP ]. But there is the lack of the coordinating body and mechanism with the appropriate authority and resources that will put in place these special and tailor-made products [code: lack of the coordinating body and mechanism with the appropriate authority and resources that will put in place these special and tailor-made products, concept: problems of coordination within authorities] that would appeal to the specific special interest sector. 17. Do you believe that transportation is an issue in Cyprus? Transportation is definitely an issue[ code: transportation is definitely an issue, concept: current tourism infrastructure problems] and it has been one of the main disadvantages that Cyprus has over the years, which now we have the great opportunity with our development of the two new airports [code: development of the two new airports, concept: current tourism product] in Pafos and Larnaka which is to open on the 7th of November 2009, it has greatly enhanced the accessibility to Cyprus at reasonable fairs. And this can be related with the objective of attracting low cost airlines and other carriers that have not operated in Cyprus, in order achieve the goal of an all year round accessibility [code: attracting low cost airlines and other carriers that have not operated in Cyprus, in order achieve the goal of an all
206

year round accessibility, concept: current seasonality strategy] which has not been there especially through the winter season. 18. What about transportation around the island? The lack of transportation within the island [code: lack of transportation within the island, concept: current tourism infrastructure problems] is another challenge that we have to meet. I believe recently there is ground for hope with the new minister of communication and works which is responsible for the public transport in Cyprus [code: hope with the new minister of communication and works which is responsible for the public transport in Cyprus, concept: improvement of coordination within authorities] who has given a new zeal with developing public transportation in Cyprus. Which was not existent actually, the only transport between the cities is basically by taxis, and definitely this is not an appealing proposition because of the high costs and the high price that it entails, for the tourists who are visiting the island and would like to experience on their own the inland attractions of the island and therefore they have to either hire a taxi or hire a car. So, for people that are not confident for driving in a foreign country automatically that is a problem. 19. Seasonality has been identified as a problem in the strategic plan. Are there any policies to address it? Do you as a policy-maker believe it is an important issue? (What do you think Cyprus needs to focus on to deal with seasonality e.g. product, marketing, target market) Seasonality is one of the crucial issues and challenge [code: seasonality is one of the crucial issues and challenge, concept: importance of seasonality] that Cyprus has to face. And I believe there is a consensus that this challenge needs to be addressed more prominently and as I mentioned earlier now with the development of the two airports the opportunity is there and already a scheme has been developed providing incentives to airlines to start operations to Cyprus [code: a scheme has been developed providing incentives to airlines to start operations to Cyprus, concept: current seasonality strategies] providing them with the start ups as it is called incentives, a scheme that has been approved last year and only recently has been declared by the CTO, with the application on the interest of the airlines to be submitted by mid-September and with the opportunity of starting operations as from next year. We referred earlier on the development of special interest tourism which
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the population is totally different from the mass tourism population. So by developing more concentrated products it addresses more closely what the tourist wants of each segment then you can develop your communication strategies and marketing activities specifically to the target segments [code: communication strategies and marketing activities specifically to the target segments, concept: future seasonality strategies] that are of interest to the respective special interest product that is developed. So, in this rationally developed policy making we have more probabilities in attracting segments during the low season [code: rationally developed policy making we have more probabilities in attracting segments during the low season, concept: future seasonality strategies] small market segments that really enjoy travelling outside the peak season. And therefore, in this respect you medicate the seasonality problem. And to highlight how this problem is crucial to our industry, it is sufficient to say that the proportion of the tourist arrivals 10 years ago in the 5 months of the winter season accounted for 24% of the total annual tourist arrivals and now this proportion has been diminished to 15-16% of the total tourist arrivals, coming during the winter season. So instead of medicating the seasonality problem we have seen it being extrapolated to a much more worrying extend [code: instead of medicating the seasonality problem we have seen it being extrapolated to a much more worrying extend, concept: importance of seasonality]. So, basically it has to be a concise effort [code: concise effort, concept: future seasonality strategies] of everything to provide the quality product. 20. How would eliminating seasonality affect the tourism industry? And why do you believe this? By eliminating the seasonality it will definitely affect the whole tourism industry. First of all you expand, you ...to the hotels remain open and employees have a job for the whole year, instead of having the employees being unemployed and being a burden to the economy [code: employees being unemployed and being a burden to the economy, concept: economic issues of seasonality] and automatically this holds social benefits as well, for the workers for their families and for the whole areas, tourist areas instead of having numerous enterprises and shops being closed 5 months of the year, from the experience of certain tourist area of the island, you keep them open and therefore contributing to the economy and overall development of the
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island [code: contributing to the economy and overall development of the island, concept: economic issues of seasonality ]. And therefore, having all this lively situation indirectly helps in developing and enriching the environment in its wider context. 21. Do you believe that tourists only visit Cyprus for the sun & sea? Why do you think this is the case? I believe that yes, to the bigger extend the main motivation of the majority of the tourists visiting the island come for the sun and sea experience [code: majority of the tourists visiting the island come for the sun and sea experience, concept: type of tourists in Cyprus]. And this is what we need to change. 22. And do you think this is due to the image that Cyprus has; perhaps the image that is portrayed by the stakeholders? Yes, the image is definitely a contributing factor [code: Yes, the image is definitely a contributing factor, concept: image of Cyprus ] especially the way that tour

operators portray Cyprus [code: especially the way that tour operators portray Cyprus, concept: image of Cyprus] and this is what we are trying consistently as an association with the specialised seminars that we have been organising in the last few years, of e-commerce, [code: specialised seminars that we have been organising in the last few years, of e-commerce, concept: current seasonality strategy] developing and promoting the properties of our members through the internet so as to be more widely exposed in order to attract more individual holidaymakers [code: attract more individual holidaymakers, concept: current seasonality strategy] and in this way to reduce the excessive dependence that the industry has on tour operators [code: excessive dependence that the industry has on tour operators, concept: dependency of tourism industry]. 23. Do you believe that prices are cheaper during the winter season? Why do you think this is the case? Prices during the winter, are not just in Cyprus are all over the globe lower than the summer season and this of course is a derivative of the supply and demand equation. So whilst the supply is by far bigger than the anticipated demand you see prices

dropping in order to generate and stimulate demand, so it is natural to see the prices
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of the same properties, or products or services to be lower when the demand is at a lower level and therefore it is understandable why all over the world that during the winter season the prices are much more attractive than in the summer season. 24. But do you believe that just by focusing on price it can provide a consistent flow of tourists? Although now you are focusing on special interest tourism but currently they are trying to compete on price which cannot be a very sustainable strategy, if you take in consideration the competition such as Egypt. The concentration on price is not the right policy [code: concentration on price is not the right policy, concept: seasonal price reduction] thats why my answers overemphasize the key words which are value for money. So if you develop the products that respond to the needs and wants of specialised segments in the market, the special interest tourism that we referred to earlier, then automatically the low season which is in the perception of people of the sun and sea lets say market, is transformed into high season for the specialised segment for example for the conference and incentives, which the high season of the conference tourism is in the traditional low season of the winter months and spring time. You do not see conferences taking place in the middle of the summer. Plus as soon as they finish the conference they want to get out and experience the place etc and do not enjoy doing it at 40 degrees. They want a mild climate and a nice environment where for example Cyprus is at its best during the spring time, where the landscape is beautiful and great weather. Therefore, you can see that is all relative once you tailor a product for a specific segment and promote it effectively during the winter season then you can transform the low season into a high season and therefore demand a higher price [code: once you tailor a product for a specific segment and promote it effectively during the winter season then you can transform the low season into a high season and therefore demand a higher price, concept: seasonal price reduction]. Because, you have developed a product that it can give to the specific segment that wants this product value for money [code: developed a product that it can give to the specific segment that wants this product value for money, concept: function of SIP].

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Appendix I 2 Codes and concepts induced from the data18

18

Each sentence represents a code identified from the interviews. At the end of each code the abbreviations represent the type of interviewee that stated the code and the number given to each interviewee in order to facilitate the researcher to manage the data. I stands for industry interviewee and refers to participants from the public and private sector, whereas T stands for tourist.

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Appendix I 3 Categories induced from the data

Categories Stakeholders attitude Problems of coordination within authorities Coordination within authorities Internal cooperation internal cooperation problems Industry players reaction to tourism Government delays Delays led to decline Improvement of coordination within authorities Reasons of failure of the strategic plan Tourism awareness of locals Responsibilities of CTO Tourism strategy Dependency of tourism industry Current tourism strategies Image of Cyprus Experience of tourists Air travel issues Loss of value for money Physical assets of Cyprus Current tourism product Current tourism product problems Current tourism infrastructure problems Quality of the tourism product Carrying capacity Tourism workforce Environmental issues of seasonality Economic issues of seasonality Social issues of seasonality Seasonality impact on quality Current seasonality strategy Seasonal price reduction SIPs' impact on resources SIPs' infrastructure Current SIP offered Function of SIP SIPs' promotion Environmental impact of tourism Social impact of tourism Economic impact of tourism Responsibilities of stakeholders regarding the environment Improvement strategies for product Importance of seasonality Future seasonality strategies 226 Tourist's motivational factors Type of tourists in Cyprus Push factors of Cyprus Pull factors of Cyprus Winter activities SI influence on destination choice Tourists' consumption trends

Concepts