LTB is hosting two events this spring as part of its participation in projects of the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU. 

MAAS CoP  - March 27 

MAAS (Match, Attain and Sustain: New Methods for Europe’s Job Brokers Supporting Tourism Businesses, Ukrainian Refugees and Job Seekers) is comprised of partners from Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Norway, Poland and Iceland.  

The project’s main topic is meeting the labour market needs of the tourism sector via the training of intermediaries (employment counsellors), with a parallel topic of emphasising support for Ukrainian refugees as part of the job seekers the project aims to engage.  

Part of the project is monthly online Community of Practice (CoP) sessions led by a different partner each time. LTB is holding the March session with the theme ‘Tourism Trends & Needs (Cy and EU)’. 

The agenda is comprised of guest speakers from LTB’s network of stakeholders and associates, followed by a break-out session that splits the partners into three groups to compare and analyse country-centric practices. The groups then present and compare their findings. 

Mr Panagiotis Hadjiloizou - Tourism Officer A’, Deputy Ministry of Tourism of Cyprus will present ‘Adapting Cyprus’ Tourism Strategy to European Tourism Trends’; Dr Katerina Antoniou - Author and Lecturer in Tourism, UCLan Cyprus will present 'Tourism as a Form of International relations – Easing Mobility in Times of Crisis', and Mrs Christina Sofocleous - Member of the Board of Directors of KEPAKY Foundation will discuss 'Facilitating the Integration of the Ukrainian Refugees into the Cypriot Society'.

Read more about the MAAS project here.

ESTour MeV – April 9 

With the ESTour project learning materials nearing completion, each partner country will hold a multiplier event (MeV) to present the pilot training to industry personnel and tourism students in an event that also features different speakers within the topic of tourism and travel in times of health crisis. 

The event will take place at UCLan university, with whom LTB has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and will be an interactive event where experts will explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the local hotel industry and discuss the future of navigating other crisis that may arise. 

The ESTour project itself will be presented by Cyprus project partner MMC who will also execute the pilot training for the island. Participants then have the opportunity to sign up for the EU-funded pilot training and obtain an ISO accreditation upon successful completion at no cost. 

It is reminded that the ESTour project aims at training and certifying people who have been working in the hospitality sector and would like to update their skills related to the new health and safety protocols and new digital technologies in regards to an effective response to epidemic crises’ impact. More information on the project can be found here. 

Those who are interested in attending the free event can contact media@larnakaregion.com before April 5, 2024 for more details.