This project has been co-financed by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and the European Commission under the Grant Programme, ENT/TOU/09/5.1.1 “European Destinations of Excellence - EDEN”, “Aquatic Tourism”.

Website design:
CMP Polymedia Ltd.

© Cyprus Tourism
Organisation, 2010

Gravity Factor

Specifications

Gravity Factor

1. Accessibility (physical and digital)

15%

Public transport (buses).

20%

Road network / quality, maintenance of infrastructure.

15%

Road signposting (sufficient degree).

10%

Facilities for boats and for the easy access of visitors to the water element (anchorages, marinas, docks, piscatorial shelters, platforms, pathways, etc).

17,5%

Facilities for handicapped (special rooms in hotels, access ramps, access to water, WC, special wheel chairs for the sea, etc).

15%

Public information through available web page.

7.5%

Registrations in search engines on the internet.

7.5%

E-booking services (easy procedure).

7,5%

2. Environmental protection

15%

Environmental awareness events (seminars, workshops, festivals).

12%

Sign posting (sufficient degree).

9%

Clean environment, quality of the land and water (possible records).

25%

Organization/assessment of voluntary activities (e.g. cleaning of the coast, afforestation, etc).

8%

Initiatives aiming to protect from coastal/riparian/lakeside erosion (awareness events, actions for protection and prevention, etc).

8%

Provision for emergency plans to cope with pollution safety risks (pollution in the sea, on the coast, on any water element, etc) must be in place.

9%

Never exceeding local carrying capacity (social, environmental, infrastructural), observance of safety limits (research/studies/relative documents, measures , etc).

9%

For fresh water: Water categorization using the Maps of Chemical and Ecological condition by the Water Development Department in the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, EU Regulations on the quality and the pollution of waters, etc.

12,5%

Existence of Environmental Information Center (protection and management of the natural environment).

7,5%

3. Participatory procedures

5%

Possibility of comments and information reception by visitors (complaint and improvement box, submission of complaints to the CTO, reports, etc).

35%

Active involvement and number of initiatives/actions/events presented by local population.

30%

Ability to promote Aquatic Tourism (events, promotion, etc).

35%

4. Local architecture and building law

5%

Protection of the coastline/waterside/lakeside.

25%

Coastal marine policy, Waterside/lakeside policy (e.g. RAMSAR Convention, NATURA2000 network, Berne Convention, etc).

25%

Pedestrian roads, bike paths, paved areas.

20%

Aesthetic exterior of public and private buildings.

15%

Feasibility of public squares.

15%

5. Health and Safety facilities

15%

Adequate and clean sanitary facilities with controlled sewage disposal (toilets washbasins).

25%

Medical support (doctors, room for medical examination, etc).

25%

Rescue team/adequate number of lifeguards, Fire unit, Special Units Disaster, volunteers, lifesaving and first aid equipment.

20%

Secure moorings for boats and vessels. Services for boats and for other facilities concerning water element (bridges, guard-house, slipways, anchorages, etc).

30%

6. Availability of services for recreational activities related to water

15%

Surfaced leisure vessels, underwater vessels (e.g. leisure coastal trip vessels, cruise liners, small high speed crafts, rawing vessels, paddling vessels, towed vessels, submarine excursion vessels, rafting, canoe-kayak, rafting, etc).

15%

Coastal/riverside/lakeside and underwater infrastructure (marinas-tourist harbours, leisure yachting shelters, under water parks, shipwrecks, bird watching decks, pic-nic area, bench, etc).

45%

Sports activities (on coast/waterside and inside water).

25%

Training and organization of special workshops for visitors and tourists.

15%

7. Availability of additional activities enhancing visitor’s experience

5%

Cultural events (Gastronomy -fish, oysters, mollusk, aquatic flora and fauna- local cuisine and tastes, traditional arts concerning water element, music, local customs, visual arts, folklore, events relative to water and sea, etc.).

30%

Outdoor activities (horse riding, walking on the beach, etc).

25%

Maritime Museums or Museums for the aquatic life and aquatic activities, archeological monuments, monasteries, traditional churches, natural trails, pathways on the beach/coast, etc.

25%

Promotion of the traditional maritime and/or bio-aquatic products by local partnerships.

20%

8. Availability of information (sign posting)

5%

Interpretation signs (efficiency).

30%

Direction signs, maps and informational material in printed form (sufficient degree).

30%

Sign posting of the Regulations related to the protection of the area/natural resource (river, lake, beach, etc) and the use of the local infrastructure and services. (sufficient degree).

35%

9. Availability and quality of accommodation facilities

15%

Small scale beaches, infrastructure and accommodations that maintain the local traditional character (Local architecture).

20%

High quality services (specialized personnel).

20%

Free access to internet.

12,5%

Availability of fresh and clean water (water supply network, springs, etc).

30%

Use of renewable energy (e.g, photovoltaic systems).

17,5%

10. Management capacity, Strategic Planning and Delivery

5%

At least one (1) permanent member of staff able to manage and coordinate development activities and interface with tourism partners. This person should be able to speak at least Greek and English.

10%

Adequate human resources and appropriate infrastructure for the management and the progress of the project (sufficient degree).

20%

Equipped offices and facilities which enable modern communications (fax, email). A website will be a further bonus.

20%

Financial resources available at the administrative level for tourism development (e.g. presentation of available resources)

25%

Involvement of local stakeholders. Examination – recording of successful project implementation.

25%