P.M. Communications:
What do you think Turkey and the Northern Cyprus seem to have received a slow wake-up call, when it comes to their realization of the economic potential associated with the tourism industry?

Serdar Denktas

Mr. Denktas:
As the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, we have identified tourism as the number one growth sector of our economy for roughly the last ten years. Yet, we have faced some political difficulties in tapping into the industry's full potential. For example, regulations have not allowed us to establish direct flights to Europe, and negative propaganda regarding North Cyprus has tarnished our image. We have had to overcome all these problems. As of late, we have invited Europeans, and especially the British, to visit this "non-existing destination". We believe we are doing quite well, at the moment. We have established flights to both Glasgow and Manchester, and will launch one to Dublin this coming May. The British market is a growing market for us. North Cyprus as a tourism destination is really unique; and not because of its sea, sun and sand, but rather thanks to its people. They are not commercial, but rather see tourists as guests. There is also a significant difference between the South and the North of the island of Cyprus; we believe that North Cyprus is the "original" Cyprus, because it has not yet been spoiled by heavy construction, as has the South. We seek quality tourists, rather than quantity.

P.M. Communications:
One of the problems lies in the fact that many of the regions have undersold their treasures. Therefore, mass tourism is developed, rather than one based on high-income spenders. How do you plan to avoid such masses, and attract high income spenders?

Mr. Denktas:
We have been a bit isolated from the world, because of the negative propaganda that has been launched against us. Yet, this has taught us a valuable lesson. We now know that our environment, and thus the nature that surrounds us, is very valuable, and we should work hard to keep it as it is. That is why we have enacted strict environmental protection laws. In the environment lies the island's greatest attraction, as well as in people's attitudes towards tourists. In the mean time, we have been closely monitoring surrounding tourism destinations, such as South Cyprus, Southern Turkey, Syria, Spain and Egypt. Our greatest difficulty as a destination lies in the fact that we do not have direct flights to our markets. The only aircrafts that fly to our island are those of Cyprus Turkish Airlines; they have a limited capacity, in terms of seats. We decided to work together with them. We began by "selling" our destination as an "underwater sports paradise"; scuba diving is extremely pleasant here, with 20-degree water as deep as forty metres, and fifteen metres visibility. We have now expanded into cultural tourism, such as that in the Balabays aAbbey. Every night, a different orchestra performs there. We intend to advertise such cultural events a year in advance, so that we can attract more people. For example, we staged Othello in the Othello Castle last year. We are hopeful that every year we will record an improvement on the previous one. Our island is the safest destination in the region. In addition, we do not ask tourists to pay for a visa and our currency, the Turkish liras, makes everything very cheap!

P.M. Communications:
Britain has obvious historical and political ties with your island. What do you think attracts British tourists to North Cyprus?

Mr. Denktas:
Britain is a classical market for us. There are many British citizens who have worked here over the years. They are familiar with the island. And many want to visit North Cyprus again. Yet, people who want to visit Northern Cyprus still have lingering question marks in their minds, because of the negative propaganda from the South. Many have been to South Cyprus, but probably were disappointed not to see the Cyprus that they were imagining or remembered from the old days. The North side of the island reminds the Cyprus of the old days, the island that they fell in love with.

P.M. Communications:
What projects do you hope to launch in cooperation with Turkey?

Mr. Denktas:
We have tried to establish daily tours from Antalya last year, which worked out well. Yet, at the moment, we are not organized for package holidays.

P.M. Communications:
What about the current bed capacity? How do you foresee it increasing?

Mr. Denktas:
Our bed capacity is 10,400 beds at the moment. There are roughly another 4,000 beds under construction, to be completed in three years time. Our aim is to reach 20,000. Until we reach such figures, we will have incentives in place to attract local and foreign investment. There is a 10-year tax exemption in place for investments related to the tourism industry. In addition, imported materials for the construction are brought in completely duty free. All incentives will come to an end once reach our aim of 20,000 beds. Our hope is to attract roughly 1 million tourists. At the moment, only 30 % of the available bed capacity is being used, although we can accommodate a total of 600,000 tourists. I believe it is the right time to invest in our potential, and that of the local tourism industry. And there is a good interest already in doing so. There are several German and Turkish investors that have shown interest, and we have received calls from a couple of British ones as well.

P.M. Communications:
What is your view on the possible participation of foreign-owned hotel chains in particular?

Mr. Denktas:
We intend to maximize the quality of the we offer service; that said, we do not want to "professionalize" ourselves to the degree of large multinational hotel chains. If we did so, part of the personal touch typical of our services would vanish. Therefore, we prefer to keep professionalism in our services, but not in our minds.

P.M. Communications:
You are the head of an industry that acts as an ambassador erasing erroneous images people have of your island. Do you think that of favouring cultural exchange is a role that tourism plays?

Mr. Denktas:
It definitely does. We must facilitate eye-to-eye contact with the other cultures. That is what we are trying to do. Tourists that visit North Cyprus go back happily; yet, when they are asked where they spent their holiday, they never say that they were in North Cyprus. When I ask them why, they tell me that they want to keep our island their secret. The tourists who visit us return time and time again.

P.M. Communications:
What image would you like to share with our readers, so as to erase the question marks that still linger in their minds?

Mr. Denktas:
There is friendly atmosphere here in Northern Cyprus. They will be safe with us. And they will enjoy a vacation that is both beautiful and quite cheap.

P.M. Communications:
Thank you, very much.