Author: asteliou

To download the Subsidy Scheme in pdf format please click here.
To download the Annex A1 in word format please click here.
To download the Annex A2 in word format please click here.
To download the Annex A3 in word format please click here.
To download the Annex B click here.
To download the Annex C in word format please click here.
To download the Annex D in word format please click here.
To download the Annex E in word format please click here.

To download the Incentive Scheme in pdf format please click here.
To download the Annex A in word format please click here.
To download the Annex B in excel format please click here.
To download the Annex C in word format please click here.
To download the Annex D in word format please click here.

INCENTIVE SCHEME TO SUPPORT CONFERENCE BIDDING AND SALES CALLS
TOWARDS THE ATTRACTION OF CONFERENCE AND INCENTIVE TOURISM TO CYPRUS

A. FINANCIAL SUPPORT IN THE CONTEXT OF EU RULES ON DE MINIMIS AID

This Scheme is being conducted by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation in accordance with the provisions of the Commission’s Regulation (EU) no. 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013 on the application of the Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid.

De Minimis Aid refers to small amounts of state subsidies which are exempted from the obligation of being communicated to the European Commission, as they are considered as not affecting trade between Member States and/or as not distorting or threatening to distort competition within the European Union. The maximum total de minimis aid granted to any beneficiary single undertaking by all the Competent Authorities of the Republic over any period of three fiscal years may not exceed the amount of €200.000.

B. CATEGORIES OF TRIPS

Category A – Sales Calls

This involves making a trip abroad in order to conduct meetings with executives of companies / organisations holding positions of decision-making power with respect to the organization of conferences and incentive trips.

Category B – Bidding for the Hosting of Conferences

This involves making a trip abroad in order to bid for the hosting, in Cyprus, of conferences / meetings of non-profit regional, European or international organisations / associations or of educational / academic institutions..

C. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Category A – Sales Calls

• Local licensed tourism and travel offices, which fulfil the minimum criteria of the Cyprus Convention Bureau and are included in the relevant list of such offices specializing in conference and incentive travel.

• Local licensed tourist accommodation establishments which fulfil the minimum criteria of the Cyprus Convention Bureau and are included in the relevant list of such accommodation offering conference facilities.

The aforementioned lists are posted on the official website of the CTO www.visitcyprus.com – Discover Cyprus – Cyprus Convention Bureau.

Category B – Bidding for the Hosting of Conferences

• Local non-profit organisations / associations.
• Local educational / academic institutions.

D. AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Category A – Sales Calls

With respect to trips abroad made towards the conduct of meetings with executives of companies / organisations holding positions of decision-making power with respect to the organization of conferences and incentive trips, the CTO will be covering 80% of the actual expenses incurred and up to a total maximum of €1.000, for only one of the two eligible expense subcategories listed below:

1. Expenditure for the purchase of an airline ticket (from and to Cyprus) in economy class and for hotel accommodation of up to 3 (three) nights for only one person, towards the conduct of sales calls.

Or

2. Expenditure for the hosting of a business lunch/dinner, against actual food and drink expenses incurred.

Category B – Bidding for the Hosting of Conferences

For the presentation of bids towards the organization, in Cyprus, of conferences / meetings of non-profit regional, European or international organisations / associations or of educational / academic institutions, the CTO will be covering 80% of the actual expenses incurred and up to a total maximum of €1.000, towards the purchase of an airline ticket (from and to Cyprus) in economy class and for hotel accommodation of up to 3 (three) nights of the person who will be presenting the relevant bid.

It is noted that for the purposes of this Scheme, the 80% of the hotel accommodation cost to be covered by CTO, for both of the above categories of trips, will be coming up to €150 per night.

E. CATEGORY – SPECIFIC TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Category A – Sales Calls

1. A minimum number of 8 (eight) sales calls involving at least eight companies / organisations, must be made per trip abroad.

2. A minimum of 12 (twelve) companies / organisations must be participating in the business lunch/dinner to be hosted abroad.

3. A Sales Call is considered to be the meeting for which the applicant has sent out a relevant invitation to the prospective buyer and the latter has accepted the invitation and has confirmed the meeting.

4. A Business Lunch / Dinner is considered to be the lunch / dinner for which the applicant has sent out relevant invitations to the prospective buyers and the latter have accepted the invitation and have confirmed their participation in the business lunch / dinner.

5. The sales calls and the business lunches / dinners must be arranged with executives of companies / organisations holding positions of decision-making power with respect to the organization of conferences and incentive trips in regional, European or international associations, corporations, meetings and incentive agents, in academic and other institutions from abroad.

6. Every applicant may be eligible for financial support for up to a maximum of three sales calls trips per calendar year.

7. In case the application for financial support is approved, it is provided that the beneficiary agrees to grant a CTO Officer the right to participate in the sales calls and business lunches / dinners. The expenses of the CTO Officer will be borne by the CTO.

Category B – Bidding for the Hosting of Conferences

1. Towards the presentation of proposals for conference bids, an official letter duly completed and signed by the non-profit organization / association or the educational / academic institution from abroad which organizes the conference in question, must be submitted to the CTO. This letter must be confirming the acceptance of the bid proposal which has been submitted by the applicant and be providing all the information / data requested as per the sample letter (please refer to Worksheet 2 in Annex B).

2. Applicants must be registered either with the Registrar of Societies and Institutions or the Registrar of Companies of the Republic of Cyprus, depending on their capacity.

3. In case financial support is approved, it is understood that the beneficiary, beyond the financial support, may ask the CTO for technical support as well, as follows:

• Printed material and maps of the CTO.
• Audio-visual material.
• Official letter by the Cyprus Convention Bureau supporting the hosting of the conference in Cyprus.
• Where possible, the presence of CTO Officers at the conference bid presentation, whose expenses will be borne by the CTO.
• Consultation and advice services.

F. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. Applications must be submitted to the CTO at least 1 (one) month before the relevant trip (please refer to Paragraph G).

2. The approval for the provision of financial support granted by CTO must be secured before the execution of the relevant trip.

3. In case the application for financial support is approved, it is provided that the beneficiary agrees to participate in the CTO’s survey towards the collection of statistical data concerning conference and incentive tourism, as per the relevant Questionnaire for the Collection of Statistical Data for Conference Tourism and Incentive Travel which will be sent out during the execution of the survey. Please click here to see a specimen of the questionnaire (only for informational purposes.) Relevant surveys conducted in the past are posted on CTO’s website at www.visitcyprus.com (links: Discover Cyprus – Cyprus Convention Bureau).

It is provided that any beneficiaries not participating in the process of collection of statistical data, are considered as not being interested in participating in the Incentive Schemes of the CTO and hence they will not be entitled to be applying to the CTO neither for financial support made available through its Incentive Schemes or other relevant to Conference and Incentive Tourism grants, nor for participation to invitations to tenders, commissioning or cooperation with the CTO relevant to the same field.

It is further provided that, in case of non-participation of the beneficiary in the statistical data collection process, the CTO reserves the absolute right to cancel the approved amount of financial support and / or to request the refund of any amount of financial support already paid by CTO.

4. In case the application for financial support is approved, the beneficiary may not apply for any other financial support from the CTO for the same action.

5. Applications submitted within the framework of this Scheme, will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis according to their date of submission to the CTO and until the exhaustion of the relevant credits in the annual CTO budget.

It is provided that, the CTO reserves the right to afford priority to the examination of applications submitted by applicants who have not previously benefited from this Scheme within the current year.

6. The CTO will be treating all documents and information received in relation to this Scheme as private and confidential and will not be publicizing or revealing any data submitted.

7. The applicants of this Scheme, accept fully and without any reservations all of its terms and conditions.

G. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

Applications, together with the documents accompanying them as below, must be submitted at the e-mail address [email protected].

1. For trips abroad made for sales calls purposes (Category A), applicants must duly complete and submit the application in Annex A.

2. For trips abroad made towards the presentation of proposals for conference bids (Category B), applicants must submit:

(a) The application in Annex B, duly completed.
(b) The official letter by the non-profit organization / association or the educational / academic institution from abroad which organizes the conference in question, duly completed and signed. This letter must be confirming the acceptance of the bid proposal which has been submitted by the applicant and be providing all the information / data requested as per the sample letter.

3. The applicant must submit the De Minimis Statement attached herewith as Annex C, duly completed and signed.

Only applications which include all of the above documentation will be taken into consideration.

The responsibility for the confirmation of receipt of the submitted application lies solely with the applicant.

H. EVALUATION PROCEDURE

Following the receipt of an application by the CTO, it will be evaluated and the decision of the CTO will be officially communicated to the applicant within 15 (fifteen) working days from its date of receipt.

I. SUBMISSION OF ORDER FOR PRINTED MATERIAL OF THE CTO

Orders for printed material of the CTO (publications, maps and bags) must be timely placed by the applicant to the competent CTO Officer Mr. Savvas Andreou: tel (00 357) 22 69 11 85, e-mail [email protected] mentioning the titles of the brochures, the quantity and the language desired. Click here to view a list of the publications available online οn www.visitcyprus.com – Media.

The applicant is responsible for collecting the order from CTO’s Warehouse (Alexandrou Ypsilanti Str. No.1, CY2234 Latsia, Nicosia), having first been notified accordingly by phone, by the CTO. Should the applicant request the delivery of the order by courier, then the cost of such delivery will be borne by the applicant.

J. REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE APPROVED AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT ON THE BASIS OF ACTUAL EXPENSES INCURRED

All the claims for the payment of the amount of financial support must be received by the CTO one month following the completion of the trip, at the latest. Any delay leads to the loss of the financial support.

After the completion of the trip the following documentation must be submitted to the CTO by e-mail:

CATEGORY A – SALES CALLS 1. A letter from the beneficiary on the company’s official letterhead which will include a brief report on the outcome of every sales call organized during the trip. Correspondingly, in the case of the hosting of a professional lunch / dinner, the letter must include a brief report on the results of the above event (contacts made, promotion conducted etc.). With this letter, the beneficiary must also be requesting from the CTO the payment of the financial support against actual expenses incurred.

2. Submission of the final account of sales calls conducted abroad, containing all the communication details for every sales call. Correspondingly, in the case of a professional dinner, the final list of participants with their full contact details must be submitted.

3. Depending on the expenditure approved for financial support, the submission of copies of invoices and payment receipts for the purchase of airline ticket, hotel accommodation and the professional lunch / dinner is required. The copies of invoices and payment receipts for the professional lunch / dinner must be analytical and be stating the number of persons charged. All the aforementioned documentation must be issued to the name of the beneficiary.

4. The Personal Declaration duly signed by the beneficiary (Annex D).

CATEGORY B – BIDDING FOR THE HOSTING OF CONFERENCES

1. A letter from the beneficiary on the company’s official letterhead which will include:

(a) General comments on the presentation of the bidding proposal for the hosting of the conference in Cyprus.

(b) The outcome of the bid submitted.

(c) A request for the payment of the financial support against actual expenses incurred.

2. Copies of invoices and payment receipts for the purchase of airline ticket and hotel accommodation must be submitted. All the aforementioned documentation must be issued to the name of the beneficiary.

3. The Personal Declaration duly signed by the beneficiary (Annex D).

The amount of financial support will be paid to the beneficiary only after all the aforementioned documentation has been submitted and pursuant to the compliance with all the terms and conditions of the Scheme.

In the case where the required documentation submitted is not complete, the payment procedure shall be discontinued.

The CTO reserves the right to further examine the documentation submitted and to request additional clarifications and / or the submission of additional data and documentation.

It is provided that, in case the CTO has found any documentation submitted by the beneficiaries to be false or that not all of the terms and conditions of this Incentive Scheme have been met, the CTO reserves the absolute right to cancel the approved amount of subsidy and / or to request the refund of any amount already paid by CTO.

It is also provided that in the above case, in addition to any other penalties imposed by CTO, offenders will be excluded from any participation in the CTO’s subsidy schemes as well as any other subsidies, invitations, commissions or cooperation with the CTO, relevant to Conference and Incentive Tourism.

K. VALIDITY OF THE SCHEME

This Scheme will have an annual validity, up to the 31st of December of every year or until the exhaustion of the relevant credits in the CTO budget. It will be automatically renewed for every next year, unless the CTO decides otherwise.

This Scheme may be altered without any notice. For information, please refer to the website of the CTO www.visitcyprus.com (links: Discover Cyprus – Cyprus Convention Bureau).

L. FURTHER INFORMATION

CTO Headquarters
Christodoulos Papachristodoulou
Tourist Officer
[email protected]
Tel: (00 357) 22 69 13 05

Cyprus Tourism Organisation
Limassol Avenue 19, CY2112 Nicosia
P.O.Box 24535, CY1390 Nicosia
Tel: (00 357) 22 69 11 00
Fax: (00 357) 22 69 13 13

The English version is a translation of the original in Greek (www.visitcyprus.com) for information purposes only. In case of a discrepancy, the Greek original will prevail.

To download the Incentive Scheme in pdf format please click here.
To download the Annex A in word format please click here.
To download the Annex B in word format please click here.
To download the Annex C in word format please click here.
To download the Annex D in word format please click here.

INCENTIVE SCHEME FOR SUPPORTING PROSPECTIVE CONFERENCE AND INCENTIVE TRIP CUSTOMERS
TOWARDS THE EXECUTION OF INSPECTION VISITS

A. FINANCIAL SUPPORT IN THE CONTEXT OF EU RULES ON DE MINIMIS AID

This Scheme is being conducted by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation in accordance with the provisions of the Commission’s Regulation (EU) no. 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013 on the application of the Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid.

De Minimis Aid refers to small amounts of state subsidies which are exempted from the obligation of being communicated to the European Commission, as they are considered as not affecting trade between Member States and / or not distorting or threatening to distort competition within the European Union. The maximum total de minimis aid granted to any single undertaking by all the Competent Authorities of the Republic over any period of three fiscal years may not exceed the amount of €200.000.

B. OBJECTIVE OF THE SCHEME

The objective of the Scheme is the targeted promotion of the upgraded special product of conference and incentive tourism through the provision of hospitality to prospective conference tourism customers in Cyprus towards the inspection of the conferences infrastructure and the destination in general, as well as the acquaintance with Cypriot professionals in this field.

C. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Local licensed travel and tourism offices which fulfill the minimum criteria of the Cyprus Convention Bureau (Destination Management Companies – DMC’s).

These offices are included in the catalogue which is posted on the official Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) website www.visitcyprus.com (links: Discover Cyprus – Cyprus Convention Bureau).

D. AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The amount of financial support for every inspection visit covers 80% of the trip cost with a maximum of €500 against the actual economy class airfare paid. In the case more than one person participate in the inspection visit, the total amount of financial support may not exceed €500.

E. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. The prospective customers of the applicants to the Scheme, must be holding positions of decision-making power towards the organization of meetings, conferences, incentive trips and events relevant to conference and incentive tourism in international, European and regional associations and organizations, of companies (private or public), of academic and other institutions, of Incentive Houses and Conference and Incentive Agents.

2. Applications admissible for consideration will be the ones for which the prospective customer has already requested a relevant tender from the applicant. Therefore, all applications must be accompanied by a relevant Letter of Confirmation based on the template (please refer to Annex B), which must be completed by the prospective customer and submitted directly to CTO by e-mail at [email protected] at the prospective customer’s responsibility.

3. The proposed conference, meeting, incentive trip or event must involve more than 30 participants from abroad.

4. It is noted that for every application, financial support will be offered to no more than one inspection visit towards the organization of the proposed conference, meeting, incentive trip or event.

5. The application must be submitted at least one month before the execution of the relevant inspection visit (please refer to Paragraph F).

6. The approval of the financial support to be granted, must be secured from the CTO before the execution of the relevant inspection visit to Cyprus.

7. In case the application for financial support is approved, the beneficiary must grant a CTO Officer the right to participate in the inspection visit to Cyprus. The expenses involved in the participation of the CTO Officer in the relevant inspection visit, will be borne by the CTO.

8. In case the application for financial support is approved, it is provided that the beneficiary agrees to participate in the CTO’s survey towards the collection of statistical data concerning conference and incentive tourism, as per the relevant Questionnaire for the Collection of Statistical Data for Conference Tourism and Incentive Travel which will be sent out during the execution of the survey. Please click here to see a specimen of the questionnaire (only for informational purposes). Relevant surveys conducted in the past are posted on CTO’s website at www.visitcyprus.com (links: Discover Cyprus – Cyprus Convention Bureau.)

It is provided that any beneficiaries not participating in the process of collection of statistical data, are considered as not being interested in participating in the Incentive Schemes of the CTO and hence they will not be entitled to be applying to the CTO neither for financial support made available through its Incentive Schemes or other relevant to Conference and Incentive Tourism grants, nor for participation to invitations to tenders, commissioning or cooperation with the CTO relevant to the same field.

It is further provided that, in case of non-participation of the beneficiary in the statistical data collection process, the CTO reserves the absolute right to cancel the approved amount of financial support and / or to request the refund of any amount of financial support already paid by CTO.

9. Every perspective client / company is allowed to apply for one inspection visit per year.

10. In case the application for financial support under this Scheme is approved, the action in question is not eligible for any other financial support from the CTO.

11. Applications for financial support will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis according to their date of submission to the CTO and until the exhaustion of the allocated funds in the Annual Budget of the CTO.

It is provided that, the CTO reserves the right to afford priority to the examination of applications submitted by applicants who have not previously benefited from this Scheme within the year.

12. The CTO will be treating all documents and information received in relation to this Scheme as private and confidential and will not be publicizing or revealing any data submitted.

13. The applicants and / or beneficiaries of this Scheme, accept without any reservations all of its terms and conditions.

F. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

1. Eligible applicants must submit the relevant application in Annex A, duly completed, at the e-mail address [email protected] at least one month prior to the arrival date of the prospective customer.

2. The completed application must be accompanied by the relevant Letter of Confirmation duly completed by the prospective customer, based on the sample Letter of Confirmation in Annex B. In accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme as mentioned above, the Letter of Confirmation must also be submitted by the prospective customer directly to CTO by e-mail at [email protected] (please refer to paragraph E.2.).

3. The programme of the inspection visit to be followed, with every relevant details, must also be submitted.

4. The De Minimis Statement (Annex C) must also be duly completed, signed and submitted with the application.

Only applications that are duly completed and accompanied by all the relevant documentation mentioned above, will be taken into consideration.

The responsibility for the confirmation of receipt of the submitted application lies solely with the applicant.

G. EVALUATION PROCEDURE

Following the receipt of the application by the CTO, it will be evaluated and the decision of the CTO will be officially communicated to the applicant within 15 (fifteen) working days from the date of receipt of the application.

H. DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE APPROVED AMOUNT FOR THE PROVISION OF HOSPITALITY AGAINST ACTUAL EXPENSES INCURRED

All the claims for the payment of the amount of financial support must be received by the CTO one month following the completion of the inspection visit, at the latest. Any delay leads to the loss of the financial support.

Following the completion of the inspection visit, the following documentation will have to be submitted by the applicant to the CTO by e-mail:

1. A letter from the beneficiary on official letterhead, including:

a. A brief report on the outcome of the inspection visit conducted (impressions on the destination, evaluation of whether the destination satisfies the requirements of the proposed conference, meeting, incentive trip or conference tourism event intended to be hosted, suggestions and recommendations on the product, any problems which may have arisen).

b. Request for the payment of the financial support against actual expenses incurred.

2. The final rooming list of the prospective customers which have been approved for the provision of financial support within the framework of the inspection visit which was conducted, as printed from the reservation system of the hotel/s of stay.

3. Copies of the invoice and the payment of the airline ticket and relevant receipt. All the documents to be submitted must have been issued on the name of the applicant.

4. The Personal Declaration in Annex D duly signed by the beneficiary.

The amount of the financial support will be paid to the beneficiaries only after all the aforementioned documentation has been submitted and pursuant to the compliance with the terms and conditions of this Incentive Scheme.

In case the required documentation submitted is not complete, the payment procedure will be discontinued.

The CTO reserves the right to further examine the documentation submitted and to request any additional information and/or the submission of additional documentation and data.

It is provided that, in case the CTO has found any documentation submitted by the beneficiaries to be false or that not all of the terms and conditions of this Incentive Scheme have been met, the CTO reserves the absolute right to cancel the approved amount of subsidy and / or to request the refund of any amount already paid by CTO.

It is also provided that in the above case, in addition to any other penalties imposed by CTO, offenders will be excluded from any participation in the CTO’s subsidy schemes as well as any other subsidies, invitations, commissions or cooperation with the CTO, relevant to Conference and Incentive Tourism.

I. VALIDITY OF THE SCHEME

This Scheme will have an annual validity, up to the 31st of December of every year or until the exhaustion of the relevant credits in the CTO budget. It will be automatically renewed for every next year, unless the CTO decides otherwise.

This Scheme may be altered without any notice. For information, please refer to the website of the CTO www.visitcyprus.com – Discover Cyprus – Cyprus Convention Bureau.

J. FURTHER INFORMATION

CTO Headquarters
Christodoulos Papachristodoulou
Tourist Officer
[email protected]
Tel: (00 357) 22 69 13 05

Cyprus Tourism Organisation
Limassol Avenue 19, CY2112 Nicosia
P.O.Box 24535, CY1390 Nicosia
Tel: (00 357) 22 69 11 00
Fax: (00 357) 22 69 13 13

The English version is a translation of the original in Greek (www.visitcyprus.biz) for information purposes only. In case of a discrepancy, the Greek original will prevail.

To download the Incentive Scheme in pdf format please click here.
To download the Annex A in word format please click here.
To download the Annex B in word format please click here.
To download the Annex C in word format please click here.
To download the Annex D in word format please click here.

INCENTIVE SCHEME TOWARDS THE ORGANISATION OF FAMILIARISATION TRIPS TO CYPRUS
FOR MEETING AND INCENTIVE TRAVEL

A. FINANCIAL SUPPORT IN THE CONTEXT OF EU RULES ON DE MINIMIS AID

This Scheme is being conducted by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation in accordance with the provisions of the Commission’s Regulation (EU) no. 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013 on the application of the Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid.

De Minimis Aid refers to small amounts of state subsidies which are exempted from the obligation of being communicated to the European Commission, as they are considered as not affecting trade between Member States and/or not distorting or threatening to distort competition within the European Union. The maximum total de minimis aid granted to any single undertaking by all the Competent Authorities of the Republic over any period of three fiscal years may not exceed the amount of €200.000.

B. OBJECTIVES OF THE SCHEME

The Scheme aims at encouraging the organization of educational trips towards the familiarization of the participants with the meeting and incentive travel product of Cyprus and the strengthening the image of Cyprus as an attractive and competitive destination for the organization of conferences, meetings and incentive trips.

C. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

1. Local licensed tourism and travel offices, which fulfil the minimum criteria of the Cyprus Convention Bureau. These offices are included in the catalogue which is posted on the official website of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) www.visitcyprus.com – Discover Cyprus – Cyprus Convention Bureau.

2. Licensed tourism and travel offices from abroad (please refer to Paragraphs D.1 and D.2).

D. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. According to the provisions of Article 6A-(1) of the Tourism and Travel Offices and Tourist Guide Laws 1995 – 2013, licensed tourism and travel offices established in an EU member state, may temporarily carry out within the Republic the activities referred to in section 3 of the referred Law without the need of having a permanent organized Office within the Republic, provided they declare this intention in writing to the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.

2. According to the provisions of Article 6.-(1) of the Tourism and Travel Offices and Tourist Guide Laws 1995 – 2013, licensed tourism and travel offices established in an EU member state, may not carry out within the Republic on an organized or permanent basis the activities referred to in section 3 of the referred Law and therefore they must be represented by a local licensed tourism & travel office, which must also be stated in the application.

3. The invited participants of the proposed familiarization trip must be executives of corporations organizing meeting and incentive travel trips, Meeting and Incentive Agents, Incentive Houses and members of the Board of Directors of International, European or regional non-profit Organizations / Associations.

4. All the invited participants must be in decision-making positions.

5. The maximum number of invited participants from abroad, for whom the CTO will provide financial support through this Scheme, is up to 12 (twelve) persons for each familiarization trip. It should be noted that more persons may be invited, but for any invitees in excess of 12 (twelve), the CTO will not provide financial support.

6. Applications must be submitted at least 2 (two) months before the starting date of the familiarization trip (please refer to Paragraph H).

7. The approval for the provision of financial support granted by CTO must be secured before the execution of the proposed familiarization trip.

8. Applications for the provision of hospitality submitted within the framework of this Scheme will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis according to their date of submission to the CTO and until the exhaustion of the relevant credits in the annual CTO budget.

It is provided that, the CTO reserves the right to afford priority to the examination of applications submitted by applicants who have not previously benefited from this Scheme within the current year.

9. In case the application for financial support is approved, it is provided that the beneficiary agrees to grant a CTO Officer the right to participate in the relevant familiarization trip. The expenses of the CTO Officer will be borne by the CTO.

10. In case the applicant is a licensed local tourism and travel office (please refer to Paragraph C.1), it is provided that in case its application for financial support is approved, the applicant agrees to participate in the CTO’s survey towards the collection of statistical data concerning conference and incentive tourism, as per the relevant Questionnaire for the Collection of Statistical Data for Conference Tourism and Incentive Travel which will be sent out during the execution of the survey. Please click here to see a specimen of the questionnaire (only for informational purposes). Relevant surveys conducted in the past are posted on CTO’s website at www.visitcyprus.com (links: Discover Cyprus – Cyprus Convention Bureau).

It is provided that any beneficiaries not participating in the process of collection of statistical data, are considered as not being interested in participating in the Incentive Schemes of the CTO and hence they will not be entitled to be applying to the CTO neither for financial support made available through its Incentive Schemes or other relevant to Conference and Incentive Tourism grants, nor for participation to invitations to tenders, commissioning or cooperation with the CTO relevant to the same field.

It is further provided that, in case of non-participation of the beneficiary in the statistical data collection process, the CTO reserves the absolute right to cancel the approved amount of financial support and / or to request the refund of any amount of financial support already paid by CTO.

11. In case the application for financial support is approved, it is provided that the beneficiary agrees towards the completion of the CTO questionnaire in Annex B by the participants in the relevant familiarization trip, which must be submitted to the CTO.

12. In case the application for financial support is approved, it is provided that the beneficiary includes the CTO and the Cyprus Convention Bureau logos in the final programme of hospitality to be distributed to the participants. In this final programme of hospitality, the CTO and the Cyprus Convention Bureau will be mentioned as the main sponsors of the familiarization trip. The two logos mentioned above will be forwarded to the beneficiary by e-mail, together with the confirmation letter for the granting of financial support towards the organization of the familiarization trip.

13. In case the application for financial support is approved, it is provided that the beneficiary agrees to submit photographic material with the participants, taken during the familiarization trip to Cyprus.

14. In case the application for financial support is approved, it is provided that the beneficiary agrees to be informing the CTO on a regular basis of agreements resulting from the hosting of the familiarization trip.

15. In case the application for financial support is approved, it is provided that the beneficiary may not apply for any other financial support from the CTO for the same action.

16. The CTO will be treating all documents and information received in relation to this Scheme as private and confidential and will not be publicizing or revealing any data submitted, without the prior written consent of the applicant.

17. The applicants and / or beneficiaries of this Scheme, accept without any reservations all of its terms and conditions.

E. AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The applicant may submit an application to the Cyprus Tourism Orgnanisation for the familiarization trip intended to be organized, for only one of the following two categories:

Category 1: provision of hospitality for covering 50% and up to €500 per person of the actual eligible expenses as these are mentioned in Paragraph F, with a maximum total of €6.000 per familiarization trip.

OR

Category 2: provision of hospitality for covering 80% and up to €500 per person of the actual cost only of the airline tickets, with a maximum total of €6.000 per familiarization trip.

F. ELIGIBLE AND NON-ELIGIBLE EXPENSES FOR CATEGORY 1

ELIGIBLE EXPENSES

1. Airline tickets (economy class + airport taxes)
2. Meals
3. Transfers
4. Gifts
5. Tour Guides
6. Team-building activities

NON ELIGIBLE EXPENSES

1. Personal expenses
2. Entrance fees for archaeological sites and museums (please refer to Paragraph G)
3. Any expenses of the applicant concerning the escort of the team of guests either by the personnel of the applicant or the applicant himself.
4. Parking fees
5. Fuel costs
6. Telephone call costs
7. Tips

G. FREE ENTRANCE PASS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTIQUITIES

Beneficiaries may request that the CTO obtains free entrance passes to archaeological sites and museums for the purposes of the familiarization trip, from the Department of Antiquities (excluding private museums.) Requests must be submitted to: CTO Officer Mr. Christodoulos Papachristodoulou, tel. (00357) 22691305, e-mail address: [email protected].

H. SUBMISSION OF THE APPLICATION

1. The applicant must submit the application to the CTO for financial support for the provision of hospitality under this Scheme, with a letter on official letterhead, in which the applicant will be informing the CTO of the objectives of the proposed trip, the dates during which the trip will take place, the profile of the participants and their country / countries of origin. This letter must be submitted to the CTO at the e-mail [email protected], at least 2 (two) months prior to the arrival of the familiarization trip participants to Cyprus.

2. The letter must be accompanied by:

(a) Annex A – Profile of Invited Participants, duly completed,
(b) The proposed daily hospitality programme with all the relevant details (sites to be visited, team building activities etc),
(c) The estimated analytical budget of expenses on a daily basis for each eligible expense, according to the proposed daily hospitality programme in (b) above and the category chosen for the provision of financial support (please refer to paragraphs E and F).

3. The De Minimis Statement (Annex C) must also be duly completed, signed and submitted with the application.

Only applications which include all of the above documentation will be taken into consideration.

The responsibility for the confirmation of receipt of the submitted application lies solely with the applicant.

I. EVALUATION PROCEDURE

Following the receipt of an application by the CTO, it will be evaluated and the decision of the CTO will be officially communicated to the applicant within 15 (fifteen) working days from its date of receipt.

J. PLACEMENT OF ORDER FOR PRINTED MATERIAL OF THE CTO

Orders for printed material of the CTO (publications, maps and bags) must be timely placed by the applicant to the competent CTO Officer Mr. Savvas Andreou: tel. no. (00357) 22 69 11 85, e-mail [email protected] mentioning the titles of the brochures, the quantity and the language desired. Click here to view a list of the publications available online οn www.visitcyprus.com – Media.

The applicant is responsible for collecting the order from CTO’s Warehouse (Alexandrou Ypsilanti Str. No.1, CY2234 Latsia, Nicosia), having first been notified accordingly by phone, by the CTO. Should the applicant request the delivery of the order by courier, then the cost of such delivery will be borne by the applicant.

K. REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE APPROVED AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT ON THE BASIS OF ACTUAL EXPENSES INCURRED

All the claims for the payment of the amount of financial support must be received by the CTO one month following the completion of the familiarization trip, at the latest. Any delay leads to the loss of the financial support.

After the completion of the familiarization trip the following documentation must be submitted to the CTO by e-mail:

1. A letter from the beneficiary on the company’s official letterhead which will include a brief report on the outcome of the familiarization trip organized and will request the payment of the financial support against actual expenses incurred.

2. The final rooming list of the group of participants, as printed from the reservation system of the hotel/s of stay.

3. Copies of the tax invoices of the contracting parties, based on the analytical expense budget which has been approved. It is provided that, for the purposes of the relevant CTO Scheme, contracting parties are considered to be the suppliers of goods/services classified as eligible expenses. Acceptable tax invoices are considered to be those printed by the accounting system of the invoice supplier or from official printed invoice blocks. Tax invoices must include the VAT registration number of the supplier and / or the tax ID number should no VAT registration number exist. Tax invoices should also include all the information required by law (and be issued to the name of the beneficiary). No other documents will be accepted as proof apart from eligible tax invoices.

4. The CTO questionnaires completed by each participant (Annex B).

5. Photographic material with the participants during the familiarization trip to Cyprus.

6. The hospitality programme as distributed to the participants, wherein the Cyprus Tourism Organisation / Cyprus Convention Bureau shall appear as the main sponsors of the familiarization trip and their logos shall be featured.

7. The Personal Declaration duly signed by the beneficiary (Annex D).

The amount of financial support will be paid to the beneficiary only after all the aforementioned documentation has been submitted and pursuant to the compliance with all the terms and conditions of the Scheme. In the case where the required documentation submitted is not complete, the payment procedure shall be discontinued.

The CTO reserves the right to further examine the documentation submitted and to request additional clarifications and/or the submission of additional data and documentation.

It is provided that, in case the CTO has found any documentation submitted by the beneficiaries to be false or that not all of the terms and conditions of this Incentive Scheme have been met, the CTO reserves the absolute right to cancel the approved amount of subsidy and / or to request the refund of any amount already paid by CTO.

It is also provided that in the above case, in addition to any other penalties imposed by CTO, offenders will be excluded from any participation in the CTO’s subsidy schemes as well as any other subsidies, invitations, commissions or cooperation with the CTO, relevant to Conference and Incentive Tourism.

L. VALIDITY OF THE SCHEME

This Scheme will have an annual validity, up to the 31st of December of every year or until the exhaustion of the relevant credits in the CTO budget. It will be automatically renewed for every next year, unless the CTO decides otherwise.

This Scheme may be altered without any notice. For information, please refer to the website of the CTO www.visitcyprus.com – Discover Cyprus – Cyprus Convention Bureau.

M. FURTHER INFORMATION

CTO Headquarters
Christodoulos Papachristodoulou
Tourist Officer
[email protected]
Tel: (00 357) 22 69 13 05

Cyprus Tourism Organisation
Limassol Avenue 19, CY2112 Nicosia
P.O.Box 24535, CY1390 Nicosia
Tel: (00 357) 22 69 11 00
Fax: (00 357) 22 69 13 13

The English version is a translation of the original in Greek (www.visitcyprus.biz) for information purposes only. In case of a discrepancy, the Greek original will prevail.

To download the Subsidy Scheme in pdf format please click here.
To download the Annex A2 in word format please click here.
To download the Annex B please click here.
To download the Annex C in word format please click here.
To download the Annex D in word format please click here.
 

SUBSIDY SCHEME TOWARDS THE ORGANISATION OF INCENTIVE TRIPS TO CYPRUS

The Deputy Ministry of Tourism is making systematic efforts to further develop the Conference Tourism in Cyprus, one of the special forms of tourism that have been included in the priorities of the Tourism Strategy 2020-2030.

In this context, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism operates the “subsidy scheme for organising incentive trips in Cyprus under the de minimis aid regulations”

This project is being prepared by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism in accordance with the Provisions of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013. 1407/2013, Commission Decision of 18 December 2013 on the application of articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union for de minimis aid.

“De minimis aid” means a low-level state aid, which is exempt from the notification requirement to the European Commission because it is considered not to affect trade between Member States and/or does not distort or threaten to distort competition within the European Union. The maximum total amount of de minimis aid that a single undertaking may obtain from all the competent authorities of the Republic of Cyprus in any period of three fiscal years is that it may not exceed the amount of €200,000.