TOURISM: Ayia Napa scuttles patrol boat, boosts Cyprus diving

The Ministry of Agriculture and the municipality of Ayia Napa have scuttled a navy vessel which will be used to enrich the seabed near the popular holiday resort and create an artificial reef for divers in the Pernera area, the fifth such venture along the Cyprus coast.

The Ministry of Defence donated the 1970s built ‘Kyrenia’ patrol boat and Agriculture Minister Nicos Kouyialis said the scuttling of the vessel took place in the context of the government’s “blue growth” policy, to form an artificial reef.
He said that the ministry’s goal is to enrich marine life in the area and follows similar scuttles in nearby Paralimni, Paphos and Limassol.
“Our goal is to enrich the tourist product, to give the opportunity to the residents of coastal areas to engage and diversify in other marine activities, to increase their income, and also to boost development in the coastal areas of Cyprus,” Kouyialis added.
Ayia Napa Mayor Yiannis Karousos said that this artificial reef, together with another one scuttled in Protaras, will attract more than 20,000 tourists to the area in the next years, and will generate an income of approximately 30 mln eurso from specialised diving tourism.
“Therefore, this is a worthy investment which must continue to be encouraged," Karousos noted.