Paphos looks set to finally gain new marina
By Bejay Browne
 
The Supreme Court has upheld an appeal by the Poseidon consortium that the committee responsible for overseeing the Paphos marina tender process is unlawful.
 
A decision made by the marina management committee last year saw the consortium lose out to Pafilia developers, after the body found that evidence supplied to secure financing for the multi-million euro project was ‘not satisfactory’.
 
The recourse brought by the consortium argued that the committee’s move to dismiss their tender, and move on to request Pafialia, next on the list, to commence negotiations was wrongful.
 
The decision was taken by the court at the end of December, according to the head of the Paphos chamber of commerce and industry Andreas Demetriades.
 
He told the Paphos Post that in its judgment the Supreme Court upheld the complaint of the consortium and noted that the establishment and functioning of the marina management committee was unlawful and therefore its decisions void.
 
He said that two possible outcomes are now likely, depending on the decision of the attorney-general.
 
“We are waiting for a decision, until then nothing can be done and we don’t know how long it may be.”
 
The first option would see the first tender cancelled as it is outdated and more than a decade old, and a new, updated version published as soon as possible.
 
A second option makes more sense from a legal point of view, he said, and would involve appointing a new marina management committee.
 
“They would evaluate all of the documents submitted by the Poseidon consortium and decide if it meets the tender criteria or not,” he said.
 
If so, the Poseidon consortium would duly be awarded the contract. If, however, they find criteria are not met, the committee would have to consider the proposal of Pafilia, he added.
 
The Poseidon consortium had planned to build and run the new Paphos marina, which comes with a €215 million price tag, but were rejected in April 2017, which meant that tender runner up Pafilia could step up and submit their paperwork.
 
The Pafilia bid is a different design and costs less, around €175 million.
 
The tender for the project was first announced in 2007 and in 2008 it was initially awarded to the Cybarco-Pandora consortium, which includes the Leptos Group.
 
However, the other two bidding consortiums, Pafilia and Poseidon, a joint venture in which Aristo Developers is a major stakeholder, challenged the award at various stages.
 
The project was then frozen after litigation began in 2008.
 
In December 2015, the Supreme Court voted in favour of Poseidon and they had to provide proof of funds. The marina management committee decided that Poseidon was unable to meet the financial criteria and the project then passed on to Pafilia, the biggest developer in Cyprus.
 
 
Paracycling camp aims to help motivate disabled to exercise
By Bejay Browne
 
The first paracycling training camp in Cyprus took place at Aphrodite Hills Resort in Paphos in January.
 
Headed up by para athlete Christos Loizou, 44, the weeklong camp was organised by the Cyprus Cycling Federation, in cooperation with the Swiss Cycling Federation.
 
Eight athletes took part, five from Switzerland and three from Cyprus and were trained in handbikes and paracycling.
 
“The aim is to enable the Swiss Cycling Federation to experience Cyprus as a destination for this sport and also to motivate disabled people on the island,” said Loizou.
 
Loizou is a below the knee amputee after being born with a problem in his right leg. After undergoing various operations in the US he decided to pursue athletics when he was 18. He has completed in para world championships across the world, first choosing shotput and discus as his chosen disciplines.
 
For the last six years he has also been involved with ‘Ifestos’ sports club in Limassol and is part of their wheelchair basketball team. The club also promotes paracycling.
“We are currently trying to include even more sports,” he said.
 
Loizou believes it is important for everyone to keep active and fit but that it is vital for those with disabilities. He said it is all too easy to stay at home which can have a hugely detrimental effect on people’s psychological wellbeing.
 
Loizou said that the two other Cypriots who participated in the training camp were inspired by the visit of international athlete, Nati Gruberg, last summer for a series of events, held in cooperation with the Embassy of Israel and the Organisation of Paraplegic Cyprus (Opak) and the Cyprus Cycling Federation.
 
Now ranked Israel’s No. 1 handcyclist, double amputee Gruberg often gives inspirational lectures to students, and volunteers with disabled children.
 
Loizou said that these events were hugely successful and also helped to motivate the Cyprus Cyling Federation to build a Cyprus team and request expert advice of how to do so.
 
“I want to encourage more people to sports and help to give them a target and a purpose. Many people don’t even know that paracycling exists and it’s important to highlight this to people on the island,” he said.
For more information: www.cypruscycling.org  or 2244 9870
 
 
Green points to open in coming months
By Bejay Browne
 
The ministry of agriculture has advised the public to dispose of green waste and other recyclables responsibly, ahead of the expected opening of 18 new green points across the island.
 
According to a spokesman for the ministry of agriculture and environment, there are a total 22 Green Points (GPs) over Cyprus which are being constructed by the government. Four in the Paphos district, four in Limassol, six in Larnaca-Famagusta and eight in Nicosia.
 
“Today only the four GPs in Paphos district are operational. The remaining GPs are expected to be operational by March-May 2018, once the ongoing tendering procedure carried out by the three district solid waste management boards is completed,” the spokesman told the Paphos Post.
 
The ministry also confirmed that although the construction of a new GP at Avdimou was completed in February 2017, it is not yet operational.
 
The spokesman said that delays in opening the facility are because its construction falls within an ‘overall contract’ that covers the staged construction of all four permanent GP’s in the Limassol district, plus one mobile GP, to serve the remoter communities of Limassol.
 
“The contractor is now in the process of the final handover of the infrastructure to the government,” he said.
 
He added that, in the meantime, the water development department, acting as the technical advisor to all the district solid waste management boards, has recently completed the tender documents for the ‘operation and management of the Green Points in the Limassol District.’
 
The tender will be launched by the appropriate district body – the solid waste management board of Limassol – in February and the contract award is anticipated in April or May, he said.
 
He added that there are currently seven such municipal GP’s, but ‘unfortunately none in the district of Limassol’.
 
 
Paphos aims to ease seasonality
By Bejay Browne
 
An action plan has been launched to encourage more visitors to Paphos and help ease ongoing issues of seasonality, officials said
 
The programme titled ‘Stronger Together’ is a joint venture effort between the Paphos regional board of tourism, sporting events organisers and a number of Paphos hoteliers.
 
“Through a cooperative innovative effort, the tourist board and others has set up an ad hoc committee and drawn up a relevant promotion plan with specific actions for the period 2018-2019,” Nasos Hadjigeorgiou, head of the local tourist board, told the Paphos Post.
 
He stressed that the main goal of the programme is to re-establish Paphos as an all year round holiday destination and to further consolidate it as a destination for athletes “with a view to curbing seasonality through the development of athletic tourism”.
 
According to preliminary information, planning of seat capacity and packages for the summer season already show a slight increase on last year, although Hadjigeorgiou said this is a cautious estimate.
 
“We are in the period of bookings now, so it is not safe to make a secure and firm forecast, however things are looking positive,” he said.
 
The ‘flagship’ events in the Paphos sporting calendar which will be promoted through the latest efforts include the triathlon, as well as individual cycling, running and swimming events, he said.
 
The publication of printed promotional material has already been completed, short films are in progress and the participation in specialised foreign shows is scheduled to take place. The use of social media is also integral to the campaign, he added.
 
The tourist head said Paphos has all of the “ingredients needed” to attract even more athletes for training as well as larger numbers of active holidaymakers, especially during the months of November through to April.
 
“The beautiful countryside and the Paphos hospitality can cement the district as a destination for athletes and is a huge advantage to set us apart from other competitors.”
 
 
Eden city gets go ahead
By Bejay Browne
 
A proposed €3.4 billion development project in Geroskipou in Paphos has finally been given a partial green light after protracted delays.
 
Eden City, a project by Hungarian investor Atum Developments, is headed up by Sandor Kenyeres, and includes the construction of an artificial ‘luxury lifestyle’ island, a university, five-star hotel-resorts, multi-floor towers, medical centre, event and conference facilities and a marina
 
Michalis Pavlides, mayor of Geroskipou, confirmed to the Paphos Post that licences  for part of the project have finally been granted and said that as long as stipulations are adhered to, it will be a good investment for the area, describing it as ‘prime virgin real estate’, ripe for development.
 
Sources close to the investor, who wish to remain unnamed said that the company is being granted a town planning permit to proceed with the construction of the five-star, 221 room Peninsula Hotel Resort and two housing blocks of 11 stories and 122 apartments on church-owned land.
 
“The project runs in parallel to the negotiation process for the whole Eden City project and is a way for the company to actively show its interest in investing in Cyprus in spite of the delay.”
 
Eden City consists of three parts: the Peninsula which will be constructed on church-owned land, the Garden of Eden similarly on state-owned land and Divina Island, artificially created in the sea.
 
The Peninsula will include a five star hotel resort tower complex, which will house the first international branded five-star hotel, as well as housing complexes with event and conference facilities.
 
The Garden of Eden will include a university, accommodation and a library, an international conference and congress centre, medical centre and public parks. Existing sports facilities in the area and the ‘Germanina farm’ will also be upgraded.
 
The source said that the creation of Divina artificial island- a first for the Mediterranean- will feature five-star hotels and resorts, luxury villas and flats, mooring facilities for private craft, as well as a bridge used as a road link to the rest of the complex.
 
 
Paphos looks to Irish market
By Bejay Browne
 
Tourism professionals headed to Dublin to drum up business at an important world trade show.
 
Representatives from the Paphos regional board of tourism, hoteliers and other tourism professionals attended the three-day Holiday World Show in Dublin, Ireland.
 
“This is a hugely important show and our participation is imperative as we have been absent for five years due to the lack of air connections between Ireland and Cyprus,” a spokesman for the Paphos regional board of tourism said.
 
However, due to air connections scheduled for 2018 being offered by both Cobalt and Ryanair on an ‘almost daily basis’ from Paphos and Larnaca, industry professionals are actively eyeing this market, he said.
 
“It is now certain that this market will have the prospect of a rebound and a serious recovery for 2018, which is good news” he said.
 
Cobalt is a new international airline in Cyprus and already the largest. They currently fly to 20 destinations in 12 countries – Greece, UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Spain, Israel, Denmark, Lebanon and the UAE.
 
During the Dublin visit, the delegation met with tour operators and specialised agents to promote tourist packages, as well as other joint actions to promote Paphos flights and destinations, he added.
 
They also met with Ryanair to prepare a promotional plan for both Irish and other flights to and from other destinations that the airline links with Paphos.
 
“The Irish market is a market that in the coming years can contribute to the expansion of the tourist season, since a fairly large percentage of travellers travel at non-peak times, and there is a sufficient market size for specialised targeted tourism such as wedding tourism, golf, walking and so on,” he said.
 
Awarded Best Consumer Exhibition Ireland, the holiday world show Dublin is a three-day event held from 26th to 28th Jan 2018, at the RDS Simmons court in Dublin.
 
It showcases holiday and wedding destinations, travel related services, honeymoon holiday services, products and other offers.