Interview with Kostas Koumis, Deputy Minister for Tourism, Republic of Cyprus (EU Presidency)

1. As the Republic of Cyprus assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in January 2026, how do you see the upcoming EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy supporting your Presidency’s wider priorities for strengthening Europe’s tourism and hospitality ecosystem?

Cyprus assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in January 2026 with a dedicated focus on advancing the European tourism ecosystem by setting up a roadmap for a resilient, competitive and sustainable tourism sector across Europe. Within this framework, we are preparing for our flagship deliverable, the adoption of Council Conclusions on Tourism during the COMPET Council in May. These Council Conclusions will address the key areas of concern for the future of European tourism, building on the EU Transition Pathway for Tourism, the European Agenda for Tourism 2030 and other work done by the Working Party on Tourism, as well as ensure continuity and coherence with the work of previous Presidencies and the European Commission.

At the same time, the European Commission is developing the first ever EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy, which is expected to capitalize on the work and actions pursued by the member states in the context of the Transition Pathway for Tourism and the Agenda 2030. 

The Cyprus Presidency welcomes this initiative and, consistent with the foregoing, indents to include the EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy in the existing work. We consider the Strategy as an opportunity to consolidate the existing work, and to translate it into concrete, actionable outcomes that can help accelerate the green and digital transition, promote quality over volume, strengthen multi-governance, and enhance support for local communities and for SMEs.

As Presidency, Cyprus anticipates that the Strategy will deliver practical tools, clear goals and actions, and will suggest accessible financing, particularly for SMEs and destinations facing structural challenges, including islands and remote regions, so that European tourism emerges stronger, more resilient, and more sustainable.

2. Labour shortages and skills development remain long-standing challenges for the tourism and hospitality sector. How will the skills agenda evolve during the Cypriot Presidency, and what more can be done to make tourism careers more attractive for young Europeans?

Skills and labour shortages are among the most pressing challenges facing the tourism and hospitality sector. In the work of the Cypriot Presidency, we put skills and quality employment high up in our agenda, with a clear focus on investing in people, through upskilling and reskilling, aligned with the green and digital transition. Tourism skills and labour shortages will be treated as a strategic EU challenge, vital for social cohesion and economic growth, particularly for young people.

The Cyprus Presidency recognizes that the sector needs to be supported in developing the necessary skills for sustainable operations, digitalisation, innovation, and data-driven destination management. Equally important is the need for improving the overall attractiveness of tourism careers. This means promoting quality jobs, clearer career pathways, and better links between education, training and the labour market, as a means of attracting young Europeans.

Our focus is on strengthening lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling, particularly in green, digital, entrepreneurial, and intercultural competences. while ensuring that training leads to stable and rewarding employment. This means supporting apprenticeships, mobility, skills recognition, and better use of labour-market data to align education with real sector needs. Essentially, we want to attract more young Europeans to tourism by showcasing it as a modern, sustainable, and innovative career choice, offering concrete opportunities for learning, mobility, entrepreneurship, and year-round employment. Strengthening apprenticeships, lifelong learning, and cross-border cooperation will be key to renewing the sector’s workforce and ensuring its long-term competitiveness.

3. Hospitality and tourism in Europe are driven overwhelmingly by small and medium-sized enterprises. From your perspective, what is the most urgent priority for the Cypriot Presidency to ensure that European tourism remains the world’s leading destination in terms of quality, innovation, and sustainability, while also supporting the daily realities faced by SMEs?

Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of European tourism. They account for 99.8% of tourism businesses and generate the vast majority of employment in the sector, which overall contributes close to 10% of the EU’s GDP. Supporting SMEs is therefore central to Europe’s economic resilience, regional cohesion, and global competitiveness.

From the perspective of the Cypriot Presidency, the most urgent priority is to ensure that tourism SMEs are fully enabled to engage in the green and digital transition. While sustainability and digitalisation are essential for Europe’s future competitiveness, they need to be achievable in practice for small businesses that often operate with limited administrative capacity and financial margins.

This means simplifying procedures, improving access to EU funding, and reducing regulatory and reporting burdens, while offering targeted support for innovation, start-ups, and scaling up. Particular attention must, of course, be given to SMEs in rural, islands, coastal, outermost and remote regions, where challenges related to connectivity, seasonality, and access to finance are more acute.

At the same time, strengthening data-driven destination management, crisis resilience, and smart governance, can help SMEs adapt to demand fluctuations, manage tourism flows and improve productivity. By aligning sustainability objectives with the everyday realities faced by micro- or small- and medium-sized enterprises, Europe can maintain its global leadership in tourism - delivering high quality, innovation, and sustainability, while ensuring that SMEs remain competitive, resilient, and future-ready.