Rethinking Cyprus: moving beyond sun and sea with a product-oriented approach
By Yury Palevich, ex-Product Director at inDrive
For too long, Cyprus has relied on a narrow image — sun, sea, and a lot of tourists. But in a world where global mobility is accelerating and talent gravitates toward clarity and vision, it’s time to evolve. While Cyprus has managed to attract some new audiences, there’s always room for smarter acquisition. What if we looked at Cyprus the way a product manager looks at their app?
A Poor Marketing Strategy
When ambitious infrastructure turns into little more than flashy PR, momentum dies. In tech, you promise users new features; in a country, those features might be a high-speed road, a gas terminal, or a marina. Cyprus has repeatedly announced such projects — like the Larnaca marina — that fail to materialise within the promised timelines. It’s like teasing a major app update and then endlessly postponing it. As a result, credibility erodes. Users don’t always leave, but trust decays.
In the world of IT, the worst product managers are those who constantly promise but never deliver — because eventually, everyone just starts ignoring the promises.
Focus on the Positioning
Cyprus has the potential to attract those who want to build, innovate, and shape sectors. But which sectors should it champion? Defining the desired audience brings clarity. Imagine Cyprus positioned as a hub for sustainable fintech or pioneering biotech. A Nobel laureate with Cypriot roots already exists — why not make that a symbol? Such focus doesn’t just generate jobs; it builds a reputation.
Concentrating on one or two strategic areas could transform Cyprus from a tourist hotspot into a key player in the global economy.
Beyond Booze Weekends
Tourism based on short-term partying may bring quick cash — but what’s the long-term cost of cleanup, environmental issues, and reputational damage? The alternative is fewer, higher-value visitors. Luxurious hotels. Tech and business retreats. Even luxury tourism hubs.
When launching an app, we evaluate user volume against revenue per user. The same logic applies here: fewer tourists with higher spending can drive better outcomes.
Metrics for Institutional Collaboration
If Cyprus wants to attract forward-thinking individuals and innovative businesses, it must modernise its naturalisation process.
It’s great to see the process evolving — especially with the introduction of the new option that allows you to obtain citizenship faster than before. But there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
And the major obstacle is the lack of trust in how eligibility is assessed. Many countries offer clear, measurable pathways to integration: learn the language, obey the law, spend a required amount of time in-country — and earn your citizenship. Cyprus, by contrast, includes a subjective interview that feels more like a university oral exam. Though intentions are noble and criteria are outlined, the outcomes are inconsistent: two people with similar profiles can receive opposite results. This isn’t a college application — it’s a life-defining decision.
In one of my earlier startups, we discovered users didn’t judge service quality by outcomes alone, but by how “human” the interaction with the experts felt. If soft skills are being tested, be transparent about that. But if the aim is to evaluate eligibility, then objective and measurable tools are essential.
Preventing Startup Spirit on an Island of Startups
The headline of this chapter might sound absurd, but even legal residents on work visas face limitations. Corporate employees are barred from becoming shareholders in private companies. Launching a side project is off-limits. Founding a startup while employed by a corporation? Practically illegal. Instead of empowering innovation, the system restricts it. It’s like having a user in your app who’s blocked from trying new features — they lose motivation and eventually leave for another platform.
The Startup-Speed Advantage
Cyprus’s small size is a competitive edge. Think like a startup, not a slow-moving corporation weighed down by layers of bureaucracy. Sure, EU regulations set boundaries — but local initiative still matters. Move fast. Don’t default to slow.
Urban Planning Without a Vision
City development across the island feels spontaneous, lacking any real user experience testing. It’s like an app with a great homepage: impressive in the mock-up, but impossible to navigate due to the absence of UX testing. MVPs — minimum viable plans — are fine, but they still need to align with an overarching architecture. Without vision, randomness takes over.
Time to Shine
Defining Cyprus as the antithesis to “cold and grey continental countries” is a tired trope. Identity is more than weather. It’s time to let go of clichés and build a country where talent chooses to stay — not just vacation.