Cyprus, Greece and Lebanon signed a memorandum of understanding on tourism on Friday in Athens, with the aim of further strengthening and upgrading the cooperation of the three countries in the sector.

For the Republic of Cyprus, the MoU was signed by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis, on behalf of the Hellenic Republic by the Minister of Tourism, Vassilis Kikilias, and on behalf of Lebanon by the Minister of Tourism, Walid Raphael Nassar.

An announcement by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism says that through the MoU, the three parties agreed to strengthen the cooperation between them as well as their participation in tourist exhibitions, conferences, seminars and promotional events that take place in the three states, as well as their cooperation in international organisations.

In addition, they agreed to cooperate closely and exchange know-how in the field of research, for the development of thematic tours, in special interest tourism with an emphasis on cultural, religious and health and wellness tourism, with joint tourist packages as the ultimate goal.

The three countries also agreed to exchange expertise on the implementation of best practices in the tourism industry as well as information on legislation to safeguard natural resources and cultural heritage, and to support the training and education of workers in the tourism industry by sharing information on the implementation of new practices.