Good ideas for turn-key business buys in Cyprus?

[BeachLover]

Originally Posted by Cleo Shahateet

A themed or speciality hotel like eco tourism is a great idea. There are too many bars so I personally wouldn't do that one. Targeting the US market if you get a hotel is hard as getting here from the US is so expensive, far and there are so many less expensive, great holidays either closer or less expensive from the States. If you get into property management or sales it is different as there are more Greek Americans wanting to move back, invest for when they do move here or as a holiday home. If it is not too costly then add it to your marketing of course but I don't expect a big return from that area. There are more and more Russians coming over that is true and a great market to target - great if you already have connections there and a partner that speaks Russian too!

Thanks for the feedback Cleo. I'll keep that in mind. I think the first step is to actually visit since at the moment all I am going on is what I have heard from friends, etc

[Veronica]

Originally Posted by BeachLover

Great! I will look into that possibility.

The other thing that I forgot about is the skiing in the winter. If you were halfway between the mountains and the coast it is about 45 mins to the ski slopes and 45 minutes to the beaches so skiers could spend the morning on the slopes then come down to the coast to enjoy the beaches. So that way you would still have clientelle in the winter.
I agree with Cleo that targeting the American market would probably not yield great results but the Swedes, Norwegians, Germans, Dutch and of course eastern europeans as well as the British would be worth targeting.

Veronica

[Lazer]

Hi,

When I was in Paphos in April we stayed at the Kissos Hotel and there was a group of twitchers there consulting their bird notes each night in the bar. They travelled out to various places to view the birdlife each day and I'm sure if there was enough demand for it you could make it a feature eg prizes for spotting the rarest birds, consultations on the best viewing equipment etc (they had some serious gear with them!) However, I would imagine that people like that would all want to come during the migratory season, so as Veronica said you'd need another focus for the quieter months.

Some of my friends/family are into cycling. I would think Cyprus would be a good place for cycling holidays in the winter months as it's so much milder than the rest of Europe, that might be another market to tap into. Triathlon club members are fanatical about bikes! You could plan routes, offer bike hire/bike servicing etc etc.

Lazer

[Veronica]

There would be loads of possiblities of groups that could be targeted. The sort of people who dont want to stay in beach holiday type hotels but want to experience other types of holidays.
Mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, bird watching, skiing, loads of possiblities.
If these things were offered in an eco friendly environment it would be a big bonus.
By offering a wide range of activities there should be a steady flow of clientelle all year round

[BeachLover]

Originally Posted by Veronica

There would be loads of possiblities of groups that could be targeted. The sort of people who dont want to stay in beach holiday type hotels but want to experience other types of holidays.
Mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, bird watching, skiing, loads of possiblities.
If these things were offered in an eco friendly environment it would be a big bonus.
By offering a wide range of activities there should be a steady flow of clientelle all year round

I am liking this idea more and more... Lazer- I think the bike and hike route maybe a great add on.

Now I just have to find an ideal location

[Veronica]

Originally Posted by BeachLover

I am liking this idea more and more... Lazer- I think the bike and hike route maybe a great add on.

Now I just have to find an ideal location

I think that Swedes, Germans, Dutch, Norwegians etc would jump at the chance of this sort of holiday as they don't tend to be into beach holidays as much as the Brits are.
When we are up in the hills we often bump into hikers etc who almost always turn out to be German or Dutch.

[BeachLover]

Originally Posted by Veronica

I think that Swedes, Germans, Dutch, Norwegians etc would jump at the chance of this sort of holiday as they don't tend to be into beach holidays as much as the Brits are.
When we are up in the hills we often bump into hikers etc who almost always turn out to be German or Dutch.

It is pretty amazing that you can skii in cyprus. Where exactly is that location?

[Veronica]

Originally Posted by BeachLover

It is pretty amazing that you can skii in cyprus. Where exactly is that location?

In the Troodos mountains. There is usually good skiing in February and march and sometimes it starts in January and goes on until the beginning of April.
We love to go up in the winter to see the snow and watch the skiers, then we have lunch in one of the tavernas in Platres and then drive back down to the coast and stroll along the beach and do a bit of sunbathing.
Its a great life

By the way you have a pm.

[teandto]

[The bar idea would be themed - I have a theme that does not seem to exist in Cyprus but my friend has used in another beach resort location (including a once and hour "show") and I think it would be successful if in the right location (ie: Ayia Napa or similar).


Its worth remembering that in Cyprus its often not what you know but who you know and it can be very difficult as an outsider to make a success of something such as bar, especially in areas such as Ayia Napa where most bars are run by just a handful of organisations.

The hotel idea could work for you if you did a lot of homework into your target market and had exceptionally good marketing of it, with the financila crisis tourism is down in general but niche markets are still doing well.

You really do need to come over and spend some time on the island first though to give youself a proper idea of what its like and how things work.

[BeachLover]

Cleo, I completely understand what you mean. It is a pretty similar situation in other vacation places I have visited (eg. Thailand) and locals may not be so keen on new blood coming in and setting up shop. If I were to go the bar route I was a) planning on doing a low key place but in a good locations, b) focus on the day time crowd and c) look into that as a secondary business AFTER I already have some steady income stream from somewhere else.

Also, I would make sure to meet with some local players first and try to make nice first. But thanks for the heads up!