The Cabinet approved a plan for the revival of rural and mountain areas, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Savvas Perdios said after the meeting that took place Wednesday at the Presidential Palace.

Perdios said the plan aims at enriching and upgrading the tourist product in rural, mountain and remote areas of the island. This is a programme from the EU Recovery Fund under the "Cyprus Tomorrow" programme and is the second of four projects to be announced by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism. The project has a total budget of 5 million euros, of which 2 million will be disbursed in 2022, he added. 

Eligible are two categories, companies and local authorities. Companies can apply to join the authentic experience path called "Heartland of Legends". The maximum amount of the grant is 200,000 euros and in the most remote areas and the mountains of Cyprus the subsidy can reach 75%, while in the rural areas it reaches 65%, he added. The second category of beneficiaries are the local authorities, that can join another quality pact of the Ministry of Tourism, "Colourful Villages". These beneficiaries will be entitled to up to 100% subsidy, with a maximum cap of 65,000 euros.  

He also said that the programme will last for three years and could possibly be extended to four years. Regarding the first goal and the creation of spaces for inclusion in the "Heartland of Legends", Perdios said the subsidy covers the fields of gastronomy, wine, art, handicrafts, traditional products. The second goal, he added, is the aesthetic upgrade of the villages, which means planting more flowers and greenery, changing the signs so that the billboards are removed, removing plastic chairs and tables from cafes and public spaces, replacing bins and installing recycling bins in the villages.

"For the first time something is being done in Cyprus that will give a big boost to the creation of authentic experiences, but also to the aesthetic upgrade of our villages", said the Deputy Minister of Tourism, adding that "building only and having beautiful stone and beautiful paving is not enough".

"Abroad, flowers and signs and materials that play a positive role in our perception of the environment are also important," he concluded.