Larnaka Tourism Board is active in its participation in projects of the Erasmus+ programme of the EU, with several nearing completon this summer, and yielding results from their deliverables. 

ESTour 

The ESTour project - Introducing Epidemic Safe Tourism (post-COVID recovery) to strengthen SMEs in the Hospitality Sector - is officially completing at the end of June and the pilot training for the new ESTour Experts is in process. 

An ESTour Expert is someone who has successfully completed the online, flexible learning programme and obtained the ISO-accredited qualification, which allows them to able to effectively carry out specific assignments – be they management or operations duties - creating and implementing staff protocols and guidelines, retraining and monitoring staff regarding health prevention and infection control. 

The qualification is ideal for students or professionals in the sectors of tourism, hospitality, consulting and digital tools. For a limited time, the pilot training is fully-funded, which means obtaining an additional qualification in a short amount of time will incur no cost (Cyprus only). Interested parties should contact LTB for more information. 

Go For Vet in Erasmus+ 

The project to strengthen the potential of VET providers to implement vocational international traineeships has successfully concluded site visits in Cyprus, Greece, Poland and Finland and developed learning agreements for four professions – including Hotel Technician – along with recommendations for good practices in the field of inclusion of students with disability into international vocational mobility projects under the Erasmus+ programme. 

The final report that incorporates the results will be available these coming months and will be posted on the project page on the LTB website here, whilst an online conference will be held in September before the project concludes by the end of the year. As part of the project results, LTB has also fostered an internship for a deaf person at a Larnaka hotel, with more information on this pilot training coming soon.

Rural Women 

Rural Women's Clubs - Locally Active in Traditions and Tourism is concluding at the end of July after successfully publishing the three reports that comprise the project results and serve as guides on how rural women’s clubs benefit and enrich the communities they operate in through their traditions and activities. 

The project allowed the women’s groups involved to share their customs and best practices with one another and compare the culture of each partner country. 

The three reports are: 

'Local traditions as an idea for effective educational activation of the local community'; compiled by the Polish partners of the project here.  

Report 2: 'Local Culinary Specialities as an Area of Education for the Local Community'; compiled by the Greek partners of the project here.  

Report 3: 'Green Practices in Tourism, Tradition and Sport for the Local Community and Tourists'; compiled by Cyprus partners Larnaka Tourism Board and Women's Association of Rural Larnaka is here. 

QUEST

QUEST – Promoting Quality internships in Sustainable Tourism & Heritage Management is an innovative Erasmus+ project aimed at increasing Higher Education (HE) students employability in the tourism sector, one of the most fast-paced sectors in terms of innovation and most affected by Covid-19.

Part of the project deliverables is student internships within the partner countries with interns placed in Larnaka city from April till July. The students have been taking part in various cultural projects, including assisting at the Phivos Stavrides Foundation - Larnaka Archives, involvement in the organisation of the Kataklysmos festival and various events of Larnaka2030, and the roll-out of LTB's new branding.

MAAS 

LTB’s newer project is MAAS (Match, Attain and Sustain: New Methods for Europe’s Job Brokers Supporting Tourism Businesses, Ukrainian Refugees and Job Seekers) which is progressing well through the Community of Practice (CoP) online workshops held by each partner, with the most recent face-to-face partner meeting held in June in Iceland. 

The masterclass videos of each CoP are available to view on the MAAS YouTube channel here.