'Airline Developments, Tourism Policy and Innovation in Cyprus: an uneasy relationship'

摘要

The airline industry and the tourism industries have undergone significant restructuring in the last tworndecades, and perhaps most importantly, both sectors have to innovate in order to remain competitive.rnRecent entrants such as low-cost carriers within different business models have emerged to rival traditionalrnflag carriers and charter airlines to particular destinations, while the emergence of new destinations withrnfresh products aided and abetted by the WWW have challenged the position of established destinations andrntheir offers. The mutual symbiosis between the two industries often leads to the perception that there is arnstrong congruence between airline policy and tourism policy, especially in island destinations; this is not leastrnbecause airlines deliver visitors to destinations and because tourism industry offerings drive demand for airrntravel among consumers. This paper explores the relationship between recent airline and tourism policy onrnthe island of Cyprus, with special reference to its effects on innovation in the two industries. This is basedrnon an extensive programme of 26 semi-structured interviews among the leaders and decision-makers in thernrespective industries. Far from closely aligned as may have been expected, the findings of the study suggestrnairline policy and tourism policy are developing at two quite different speeds and not always with fullrnreference to one another. The implications of this paper are twofold. First, the linkages between the airlinernand tourism industries should not be taken for granted, in particular in established destinations such asrnCyprus that are exposed to the pressure of global competition. Second, innovation –which is vital to thernfuture competitive of both industries-, is perceived quite differently in the two policy arenas, and there arernnotable differences in how innovation is fostered.