Iyia Napa
Why do people settle for going to the same place for their holidays?
I suppose they are creatures of habit, they tend to go where they have a pleasant experience so once they have one they don’t mind going and repeating that experience.
Its familiarity, you want something tried and tested but I think people need to expand a little bit more because there is nothing like a nice surprise if you find a hidden gem somewhere.
The reason why you fell in love with one place you might fall more in love with a new place.
You are always comparing it to the last year, the food is not as good or the hotel has changed or the entertainment is not as good and I think by expanding your experiences you can get rid of all that side of things
Why is it important to have a change?
To discover more, I travel an awful lot with work and I have been doing it for ten years and I never get bored, I am excited by every different place I go I think when it comes to the point when I am not excited by a new destination then it’s time to give it up. Throwing yourself into different situations, meeting different people seeing different sites is good or your soul with the day to day work at home, you need to get out there and experience different things. Some people say that a change is as good as a rest and I think that is correct.
Why is it important to travel while you can?
I think travel for as long as you can, I have friends and family who are 80 and still travelling, they are flying off to Brazil and Hawaii and Japan, because once you get the bug, you just want to see the world, it’s such a huge place you want to see as much of its as possible.
How cannot travelling affect your children's experiences?
I have two kids and I was brought up to travel and we always went to different place every year on holiday and I try to do that with my own kids. I am very lucky that I am in the position to be able to take them to different countries so they can experience it more but it gives them a real wanderlust. My children are seven and eleven and absolutely love to travel whether its hopping in the car and going to Wales or flying nine hours on a plane to the states they are not fussed by which country it is they just want to travel, they want to see new places, try new food and experience new things and it really changes them.
Of all the places you have travelled to where is your favourite?
Every place I come back to is my favourite there are a few places that have really surprised me on of them is Iyia Napa. In my younger years I did a lot of the clubbing. I went to Ibiza so I know Ayia Napa has had quite the reputation as the party place so I went earlier this year and was pretty much blown away by how beautiful it was and how easy and friendly it was. There is so much to do and I am almost considering going back again this year.
Why is it such a misunderstood place?
Orestis: Well there are the young people that congregate on the Ayia Napa square and traditionally that is where most of the hotel apartments used to be and that is where the music scene was born. At the same time you have the bay which has all the famous hotels you have the beach and the Olympic level so you have nice family resorts about a mile away. On the west side you also have the Grecian bay with another set of four and five star hotels along the beach. Although the heart of Ayia Napa is quite young in July and August it is a year round destination for the rest of the summer period. It is very good for families because the water is very shallow clean and safe because Cypriots love children and families, you really feel very comfortable there.
It is a very laid back and safe destination we are a peace loving culture in Cyprus.
For the children there are kids clubs, activities on the beach and in the water such as in April, there are a range of different sports, paragliding and parasailing, they did all kinds of crazy things in the water, but that is the fun of it for the children.
What is the accommodation like?
Orestis: In the centre it is more apartments and on the other side is more four and five star hotels where the families stay, the younger people go in April and May and the older couples go in September and October
What is there to do if you want to get off the beaten track a bit?
Orestis: There is a nice museum which is very shaded and very modern it is a state of the art museum, it has exhibits about what you find on the coast in a tour boat so it’s very interesting to go into the museum. There is also the old church about 15th century that gave the name to Iyia Napa, ‘holy wood’ basically, it is right in the centre where all the action is for young people and if you go further out there is a national park again in the spring its very nice, you can do walks and you can go to nearby villages at night, they have very good taverns there. A lot of the locals will go outside Iyia Napa, although there are a lot of fish taverns in Iyia Napa there are a lot on the fringes, so if you want a quiet night then you go slightly outside.
Please tell us about a normal week in your world as a travel journalist.
This is very tricky because I have just a had a very not normal week. I have been travelling round viewing hotels around Hawaii and I don’t have much of a tan because I have spent most of the time in a car or in an air conditioned hotel so it isn’t always as glamorous. The fact is I get to see some incredible places and if I go back twice to a place it’s a sign of a good place to go. As I say I am looking to go back to Ayia Napa this year because there are a lot of places I go to and still travel to.
Day to day I spend a lot of time reading travel features, I read rough guides, lonely planets, I research an awful lot I read a lot of news to see what hooks are coming up. I send pictures to different editors and of course you have the travel side of things as well as always on the phone to different airlines organising different press trips and visits, I am currently organising a big trip with the family, so a lot of travel, a lot of fun I can’t complain!
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to pursue this as a career?
I think you need a tough skin, you need to want to do it, don’t take no for an answer and don’t be put off. It is the best job in the world and I have been doing it for ten years and I think will do it until they stop publishing my work. So the best advice I can give is research; read all the travel features, read all the newspaper travel sections, find out what is selling. It’s all about the hook so find out the story about where you want to go; the story behind Iyia Napa was the alternative. People don’t recognise it’s a place to go with families but I have found it was a place to go with families and that it what I sold into the newspapers. So think about the story think about the place, think about that you can bring to the table. Like I said don’t take no for an answer, keep going, you will get there in the end. It’s not your normal 9-5 it’s more of a way of life, I live and breathe travel and its just part of who I am.
What is next for you?
I am planning a big road trip to Italy but I am not very far ahead with my planning. I have three days booked but I still have another 11 days to fill, so I am introducing the kids to some very interesting foods and lots of new experiences and it will be great!
Mr. Orestis Rossides, Director UK & Ireland, Cyprus Tourism Organisation
Visit Cyprus.com
Facebook: Cyprus tourism organisation UK