Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Antonis Paschalides presented on Wednesday to future tourism professionals, the most important new investment projects of the Cyprus tourism industry.
Addressing the 5th Annual Student Conference for New Investment Projects of the Tourism Industry in Cyprus at the University of Nicosia, he said Cyprus is a well-known European tourist destination and to add to all the advantages of the destination, the Government is continually supporting and encouraging this sector. The Cyprus Tourism Organization, he added, “has announced a co-funded Incentive Scheme for investments in the enrichment of the tourist product and modernization of the tourist enterprises”.
Paschalides also said the efforts of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation to further develop rural areas include the development of the Wine Routes in areas involved in wine making, the Cycling Routes and other cultural routes.
New football training fields have also been developed with the Organisation’s assistance in Limassol, said Paschalides, in order to cater for the increasing demand for foreign football teams training during the winter months. A new sports infrastructure project is currently being planned by the municipality of Larnaca, which will include training fields, tennis courts, archery range, etc. Furthermore, the construction of the new Olympic Shooting Range will be completed before the end of the year, a tennis centre is being developed in the Famagusta area and a new ski station is being planned by the Cyprus Ski Federation in Troodos.
In accordance with the National Golf Policy, which aims at the creation of up to fourteen golf courses, the Minister remarked, new applications are under review for investments in golf related developments.
Regarding the goal of promoting nautical tourism, the project of the construction of the Limassol Marina, which also includes residential and commercial developments, said Minister Paschalides, has begun and is expected to be completed in 2012. As for both the combined development of the new Port and Marina in Larnaca and the Marina in Agia Napa, these are in the final stages of the negotiation phase with the selected investors. Regarding the Marina in Paphos, he said quotations have been submitted by investors. Complementing all these and supporting cruise tourism will be the new, modern passenger terminal being constructed at the Limassol port.
For the organisation, development and promotion of conferences and incentives, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation the Minister of Commerce said, has just launched the pilot implementation of the Cyprus Convention Bureau within the Organisation. The creation of the International Conference Centre in Limassol is currently being promoted by the Limassol Regional Tourism Board in close cooperation with the Government, while the International Conference Centre in Nicosia is being refurbished by the Government to host a large number of conferences that will be held during the Cyprus E.U. Presidency in 2012.
Additionally, cultural tourism has been identified in Cyprus as a potential growth area. The new Cyprus Cultural Centre in Nicosia will be completed within 3 years while the construction of the new Archaeological Museum in Nicosia is under way and should be completed by 2017, the year when one city in Cyprus will be declared the Cultural Capital of Europe.
Furthermore, new investments have also been developed in the sector of medical and wellness tourism, with the creation of new Rehabilitation, Wellness and Medical Centers. The aim is to attract more healthcare travelers and notable examples include the American Heart Institute and the Ayioi Anargyroi Natural Healing Spa Resort.
Concluding, Paschalides pledged the Ministry, and our Government as a whole, will always support your efforts to promote Cyprus as a tourist destination.
