President Christofias warned that Cyprus was facing one of its most difficult years for tourism in recent memory. Official estimates expect tourism arrivals to decline 10 percent on last year as the global economic slump bites hard in Europe. In a speech to the Hotelier's Association, Christofias also urged Cypriots to spend there holidays on the island rather than abroad and warned against ripping off tourists. He said over charging tourists 10 euros for a kebab was unacceptable.
Recycling comes to Paphos Collection of recyclable materials started in Paphos district yesterday. Eight areas are included in the first phase of the ambitious scheme, operated by the recycling company Green Dot.
The municipalities of Paphos, Yeroskipou and Peyia and the communities of Chlorakas, Kissonerga, Mesoyi, Tala and Emba are participating in the scheme.
Green Dot said they expected the project to run smoothly, as for the last two weeks the company and local authorities, have placed special bins in all the relevant spots. The company also stated that an extensive information campaign had been well received by the public.
The coloured bins, which relate to a specific type of re-cyclable material, have been placed in various spots across the area. Products such as paper, cardboard and glass will be collected from the 150 designated areas and recycled by Green Dot as part of the first phase of the project.For further information look at www.cydot.com
Father and son top laugh factor in talent show STAVROS Flatley, the London Cypriot father and son dance duo who made a hilarious bid to succeed in the Britain’s Got Talent TV series came in a respectable fourth in Saturday’s final, but certainly came first in terms of laughs.
Father Dimitris Demetriou, 39, and son Lagis, 13, became a British TV and YouTube sensation as Stavros Flatley in a series of appearances in their epic ascendance through the stages of the talent show. The British media have also used them as an example of family warmth and connectedness. Dimitris, who sports a tattoo of ‘Cyprus’ complete with outline of the island on his stomach, has been espoused as the model dad. Holding back tears following Sunday’s final, Demitris revealed how his own father had been killed when he was five years old, and that this tragedy in his life is what had spurred him to have the healthiest relationship possible with his family.
Eating with the family, never arguing in front of the kids and being careful not to embarrass them were top of his advice tips. The two prepared their dance routine in the living room of their North London house, with mother Karen providing the necessary critiques that shaped an impressive and absolutely hilarious performance. Even though dance troupe Diversity, matronesque Scottish singer Susan Boyle and singer Julian Smith made it to the podium, it is the Mediterranean dancing duo from North London who most likely to endure in the memories of all the followers of Britain’s Got Talent for years to come.
Arrivals from the UK, the island’s main tourism market, are expected to be satisfactory despite the world economic crisis, Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) Chairman Panos Englezos told The Cyprus Weekly yesterday.
“As a result of the various support measures which the government announced for the tourism industry and the reduction in the price of holiday packages to Cyprus, more tour operators from the UK are showing an interest for Cyprus and we have come to some arrangements with them. Not all of them of course but a number of them and we hope arrivals from Britain will be at the same levels as last year,” Englezos said.Some reductions are expected and it is difficult to forecast overall arrivals, since bookings are mainly made on a last minute basis, rather than pre-bookings, not only for Cyprus but worldwide.
“The CTO is hoping for a 10% reduction in arrivals this year, which will be satisfactory, given the world economic crisis, although at this stage it is difficult to predict year end arrivals,” he said.Cyprus Hotel Association (CHA) director general Zacharias Ioannides spoke in a similar vein. He said though prebookings have seen a reduction in the last few months, measures announced by the government and other actions have led to some movement that allows for optimism with regards to the British market.“We are therefore hoping for the same levels as last year and this is what some tour operators are expecting,” Ioannides said.
Under the circumstances, a drop of up to 10% in arrivals this year should be adequate to cover the costs of the members of the association, he added.Cyprus Tourism Enterprises (Stek) director general Phaedias Karis, was less optimistic, expecting a reduction in arrivals and revenue from the UK, which has been seriously hit by the world economic crisis.“The reality is that the British economy has been badly hit by the world economic crisis and therefore some kind of reduction in arrivals from the UK is expected. At this stage we cannot specify the extent of the drop in arrivals from the island’s main market but we hope it will not be a big drop. By no means will we have the catastrophic results which some had predicted last year, but some kind of drop is expected,” he said.“Of course, there will be people who will travel in Britain, even with the economic crisis, and we hope the reduction in arrivals from there will not be more than 10%,” he said, noting at last minute bookings are expected as summer approaches.
The use of mobile phones for millions of people travelling in the EU every day becomes even cheaper.
EU lawmakers have voted to reduce the price telecom companies can charge for calls you make or receive with your mobile phone while in another country – also known as roaming. Similar caps will be introduced for text messages and data services, and then lowered over the next three years.
According to the European Commission’s announcement, just in time for the summer holidays, the changes mark another victory for European consumers, who - thanks to the current cap on voice calls - are already paying 60% less for conversations with their handsets while traveling in the EU.
From this July, sending a text from abroad in the EU will cost you 11 cents maximum, less than half the current average of 29 cents (far more than texters pay at home). Receiving a text in another EU country will remain free.
The maximum price for a mobile call will also fall, from 46 to 43 cents a minute. The ceiling will drop to 39 in July 2010 and 35 cents in 2011 - a total saving of 11 cents. Mobile users will also benefit from lower charges for calls received while abroad. That cap will drop from 22 to 11 cents over the three years.
All prices exclude VAT. Charges for other roaming services - like sending an email or picture or surfing the internet – will be capped at the wholesale level. That is, the ceilings will apply to rates one operator charges another.
The new rules also aim to end the nasty surprises that can hit roaming customers when they get the bill for surfing the net via a mobile connection. Customers will be able to opt free of charge for a maximum monthly tab (€50 by default). Providers will have to warn their customers when they are close to reaching the limit. The EU first capped cross-border mobile calls in 2007 after finding they were on average four times more expensive than domestic calls and that prices varied widely from country to country.
According to Eurostat data released on Thursday, euro area annual inflation was 1.6% in December 2008, down from 2.1% in November.
A year earlier the rate was 3.1%.
EU annual inflation was 2.2% in December 2008, down from 2.8% in November. A year earlier the rate was 3.2%.
In Cyprus, inflation in December fell to 1.8% from 3.1% in November 2008.
The lowest annual rates were observed in Luxembourg (0.7%), Portugal (0.8%) and Germany (1.1%), and the highest in Latvia (10.4%), Lithuania (8.5%) and Estonia (7.5%).
By the end of this year, the population of Cyprus is expected to be close to 802,000, following a 15 per cent increase in 2008, nearly 12 per cent of which was due to migration, and only 3.8 per cent to natural cycles.
Cyprus had a crude birth rate of 10.4 per cent in 2008 and a death rate of 6.6 per cent, which means the population grew 3.8 per cent.
Migration, at 11.7 per cent, was the fourth highest in the EU after Luxembourg with 11.9 per cent, Slovenia 12.6 per cent and Ireland 14.1 per cent.
Net migration in the EU on average was 3.3 per cent, while a number of member states recorded negative migration trends. These included Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Most of the other member states had migration levels of less than five per cent.
Cyprus’ birth rate hovered around the EU average of 10.8, but the island’s death rate at 6.6 per cent was the second lowest in the bloc after Ireland’s 6.1 per cent. The EU’s average death rate was 9.7 per cent.
Countries with a higher death rate than the average included Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden and several of the new member states.
By January 1, 2009, the EU will have a population of 499.7 million, and the population of the euro zone area will be 328.6 million.
The population is expected to have increased in 20 member states and decreased in seven by the end of the year. Overall, the EU27’s population grew by 4.4 per cent in 2008. Natural growth was 1.1 per cent and migration 3.3 per cent.
The highest birth rates were in Ireland at 18.1 per cent, the UK 13.0 per cent, France 12.9 per cent, and Estonia 12.2 per cent.
The highest death rates in 2008 were in Bulgaria, with 14.2 per cent and Latvia with 14.0 per cent.
The tourism sector is to receive a €13m cash injection under a new incentives scheme being launched by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation on Monday. The money will be used to help fund new tourism projects and upgrade existing hotels.
The aim is to help the power-engine of the Cyprus economy overcome the world economic crisis and encourage private investment to promote the competitiveness of the sector.
Co-funded by EU structural funds, the scheme has two main objectives: to encourage private investments to upgrade existing establishments, and to instigate investments in new projects that will improve local tourism such as theme parks, museums, conference centres, health and spa centres and medical and sport projects.
The scheme is open to existing and new middle and large businesses. Funding will cover between 10%-35% of the total cost..“Investment initiatives by businesses in the tourism sector and other related industries are essential to improve the island’s competitiveness as a tourism destination,” Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Antonis Paschalides told a news conference.
The CTO believes the project could generate a total investment of €55m for the tourism sector.
“The scheme implements the basic targets of the tourism strategy and will contribute decisively towards efforts to tackle effectively the global crisis in the tourism sector,” CTO Director General, Phoebe Katsouri said.
The scheme will be valid until the end of 2013 and will be held in two phases.Applications for the first phase can be submitted from Monday to March 31, 2009.
The CTO and the private sector have unveiled cheap, all-inclusive weekend packages for the winter period with prices starting from €50 per person.
The scheme “Short Escapes, Long Experiences” is part of the CTO’s action plan to boost winter tourism.The low-cost packages include hotel overnight stay, breakfast and dinner as well as Sunday lunch in a local taverna (included in a list) and participation in an organised excursion offered by the CTO and guided in Greek and English.
A total of 18 hotels and 27 restaurants across Cyprus, including Nicosia, have joined the scheme which is valid from tomorrow November 29 until December 21, with a break over the Christmas holidays, and from January 10, 2009 until March 29, 2009.
Prices start from €50 per person in a three-star hotel, €60 in a four-star hotel and €75 in a five-star hotel.Bookings can be made through Top Kinisis Travel’s webpage www.cyprusshortescapes.com or by phone to the travel agency at 22 713 760.
The CTO website www.visitcyprus.com will feature special offers by agrotourism establishments in villages across Cyprus and offers by the Cyprus Hotel Association (CHA) and the Cyprus Tourism Enterprises Association (Stek).
Minister Antonis Paschalides said the scheme aims to extend the winter season, increase overnight stays in local hotels and give people the opportunity to get to know Cyprus.
Bookings for overnight stays by Cyprus residents for the period November-February 2008 have risen to close to 100,000 and the CTO expects some 80,000 more tourists will visit the island this winter compared to last year.
Tourism bosses seek to assess impact of recession Booking from the UK for next year will most likely be down, but Cyprus is doing a bit better than some other countries, Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) Director General Phoebe Katsouri said yesterday.
Katsouri was speaking from the World Tourism Fair in London, where tourism bosses hope to gauge to some extent the effects of the global crisis on next year’s arrivals.
“Efforts are under way to overcome the difficulties we are now facing,” Katsouri said.
She said bookings were down across the board, but some countries seemed to be doing worse than Cyprus. It remained to be seen what the final outcome would be. Katsouri said even tour operators could not yet predict what would happen.
“Britain is going through a serious economic crisis and no one can predict what the travelling public will do in 2009.”
In September, tourism to Cyprus fell 3.2 per cent year on year.
The drop, the second consecutive one, was due to a significant reduction in the arrival of British tourists.
Britain is the island’s biggest market, accounting for well over 50 per cent of all 2.4 million or so arrivals. In September, arrivals from Britain slumped 11.6 per cent compared to September 2007.
Decreases were also recorded from Greece, some 3.5 per cent, and Germany 2.4 per cent.
Since the beginning of this year, tourism arrivals have fallen a total of 0.3 per cent over the first nine months of 2007.
To halt the decline, the hoteliers have submitted a list of measures they believe need to be taken to save next year’s tourism.
They had wanted the measures to be in place in time for the London Fair, but the government has not yet announced its plan.
Katsouri said as soon as CTO officials return to Cyprus this week, a meeting will be held to discuss the findings from London.
Other reports from London yesterday said people were cancelling holidays they had booked for the current winter season, which began on November 1.
However, Tourism Minister Antonis Paschalides, who is also in the UK, told London Greek Radio that from the information the Cypriot delegation had gleaned so far, arrivals would not be greatly affected, “maybe not at all” for the winter and for next summer.
Romanian airline Blue Air yesterday announced they would be selling plane tickets for as cheap as one euro, as part a new promotional offer.
Blue Air, which is the leader of low-cost Romanian airline transport, has signed a deal with Cypriot travel agency Orthodoxou Aviation, naming it its exclusive representative in Cyprus.
Andonis Orthodoxou, Managing Director of Orthodoxou Aviation, said he was extremely pleased with the partnership, and that the Blue Air’s operation in Cyprus had been a complete success so far.“We will be starting the winter season by offering 50,000 tickets for just one euro,” said Orthodoxou, our passengers will only incur the cost of airport taxes.”
Blue Air connects Romania with 25 European destinations including, France, Italy, Spain and Great Britain. Direct flights from Larnaca to Bucharest operate three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Marketing Director of Blue Air Florentina Ivan said that Blue Air offered services to suit every category of passenger, and placed flight safety above all else. “Our crew is among the most experienced in Romania and licensed according to the European requirements of JAR-FCL (Joint Aviation Requirements-Flight Crew Licensing).”
In addition, Blue Air operates a customer service hotline in Cyprus that provides customers with flight information and current offers, in Greek, English and Romanian.“I would like to add that all our customers are automatically registered into a contest, which gives them the opportunity to win a brand new Renault Dacia each month,” said Ivan.
Blue Air also announced that they offered a frequent flyer programme for dedicated customers, giving them the opportunity to accumulate travel points which could be redeemed for discounts or free tickets.
Blue Air runs a fleet of modern aircrafts and has recently purchased a Boeing 737-800 next generation. Last year 900,000 passengers travelled on Blue Air international flights.
The new multi-million-euro Limassol marina will be completed by the end of 2010 or in January 2011, Commerce Industry and Tourism Minister Antonis Paschalides said yesterday.
Speaking at the official presentation of the project’s master plan in Limassol, Paschalides said: "The ultimate aim is to revamp infrastructure, improve aesthetics and regain the required functionality, so that Limassol Marina will be a jewel for the island."
The Limassol Marina, is the first of the marinas which will be built across Cyprus with a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) contract, he said, noting that the creation of marinas is part of a government policy to upgrade tourism, targeting specialised and quality services.
"Our vision is for maritime tourism to become, in the future, the main basis of the island’s development, with thousands of visitors being able to live the unique experiences which our sea offers," Paschalides said.
He referred to the agreement signed in January this year with Lemesos Marina Ltd for building the marina, stressing that the required licenses have been secured since then and construction work for the project will begin in the autumn.
"The project will be an impressive undertaking, with something unique and pioneering for Cyprus and will be the jewel of the city of Limassol and the whole island," Paschalides said.
Nikiforos Pampakas, marketing manager of Lemesos Marina Ltd, told The Cyprus Weekly the berths of the marina will be ready and operational by January 2011, while the rest of the project, including residentials and commercials will be completed about a year and a half after that.
"The Limassol marina will accommodate about 600 yachts in the water and another 400 outside the water," Pampakas said.The project will include three different areas, the yachting area. which is the marina with berths, the commercial area, which will include restaurants, cafeterias and shops and the residential area, with apartments and houses, most of which will be sited on a man-made island, he said.
The marina will also have a cultural centre and many communal gardens and squares for the local and foreign visitors, Pampakas said.
Five days after its launch, the shuttle bus service between Nicosia and Larnaca airport seems well on the way to success, while it has also expanded to serve Limassol and Paphos.
Pambos Kapnos of Kapnos Airport Shuttle said that from a mere trickle of 5 when the service started on Monday, passengers rose to 140, and then to 200 yesterday. "We have a steady rising trend," he said, noting that there were more people going to the airport than coming back. This was because many of the passengers who traveled abroad before the bus service was introduced had already made arrangements for their return to Nicosia. "It will not be until the second week before we have a definite picture of how this is going," Kapnos said. He noted that most of the bus passengers were Cypriots and only about 8-10% were foreigners.
Asked if they were content with the point of departure at the Philoxenia Hotel, he said they found it quite convenient and had no plans of changing it.
"We have on principle entered an agreement with the Nicosia taxis to work together on this”, he added.Furthermore, he said that they would soon advertise the airport bus service to all the households in metropolitan and wider Nicosia through the post office.
There are hourly rides to and from the airport in the early hours of the morning, starting at 5 a.m., becoming less frequent around noon and then increasing again in the afternoon, following the schedule of flights.
Limassol City Buses started the airport shuttle service on Wednesday with 57 passengers, while yesterday they had 49. They are also confident that business will pick up as it goes along.Buses start from Ayios Georgios Havouzas at 4.45 a.m. with the last one scheduled at 10 p.m. The last one from LarnacaAirport is at 0.15. The fare is Ý7 including luggage.
Paphos City Buses who joined the airport shuttle service only yesterday were optimistic despite the low number of passengers they ferried.Director Chrysostomos Chrysostomou said they expected business to pick up as people became familiar with the service.For the time being they work together with the sister company of Limassol City Buses carrying passengers to and from the Larnaca airport to Paphos. "This means making a brief stop of 5-10 minutes in Limassol each way, which is hardly noticeable," he said.
The first bus from Paphos leaves at 6.15 a.m. and the last at 8.15 p.m., while the last one from LarnacaAirport is at 2.15 a.m. There are two points of departure, one from the Central Karavela Station and another from the small harbour of Kato Paphos mainly for tourists. The fare is set at Ý7 including luggage.
Asked if there is a similar bus shuttle service between Paphos airport and Paphos town, Chrysostomou answered in the negative, saying that this was due to the fact that most passengers were on chartered flights and their fare to and from the airport was inclusive in their tour package."Nevertheless, we are working on something together with the Cyprus Tourism Organisation," he noted. He added that they worked with Limassol City Buses to bring passengers from Limassol to Paphos when needed.
As the service in all three major towns is in flux, the passengers are advised to consult the bus schedules. Making a reservation guarantees a better service.
The airport bus service was launched in a bold move by the Minister of Communications and Works Minister Nicos Nicolaides, who is determined to handle public passenger transport head on. Launching the project at a press conference on Monday, he stressed that the Cypriot citizen must learn to trust public transport, but at the same time public transport must offer a viable choice to the citizen.
The move has angered airport taxi drivers who threatened strike action, but agreed to give the new venture a trial run provided their problems are addressed.
A consortium headed by the Leptos Group has been awarded the contract to build the new Paphos marina.Commerce Minister, Antonis Patsalides, announced the winning consortium for the project in Potima in Paphos.
The Minister acknowledged the competition for the project had been stiff. Four consortiums vied for the prestigious contract, with the front-runners said to be those headed by Leptos and Aristo developers.
The Leptos Group was founded in Paphos in 1961 and describes itself as, ‘the leading property developer.’ Numerous projects and developments in Paphos are Leptos builds.
The winning consortium that it heads up is made up of Cybarco, JNP Avax, Francoudi and Stephano and Athena and KAT.
Work on the large-scale project is due to commence immediately, and must be completed within three years.
The Marina will have mooring for 1,000 boats, slipways and a boatyard. There will be further leisure facilities, including, a restaurant, bar and parking. The cost of the project is expected to come in at over €70 million.
The winning group will have to pay the government annual rent of €4 million for 19 years.
Owners of surrounding land have seen it more than triple in value since the decision to build a new marina was taken.
Flight info at your fingertips A new and improved information system will be available to the public from tomorrow, Hermes Airports has announced.
“As part of continuous improvement to our customer services, we will adopt a new and modern information service aimed at satisfying customer queries regarding all flights to and from Larnaca and Paphos International airports, commencing Monday, 19th May 2008,” the company said. By calling 77778833 (from Cyprus) customers will be able to obtain information regarding all flight arrivals and departures for that day. By dialling the last three digits of the flight number of interest, customers will also be able to obtain flight arrival or departure times. Live operator assistance will be possible by following the instructions given over the phone. The automatic service will be operational on a 24-hour basis, whilst live operator assistance will be available between 8am and 11pm.
The service is provided in both Greek and English, with charges based on normal call rates.Customers requiring further information can also visit the Herms Airports website at www.cyprusairports.com.cy
Limassol unveils ambitious project to transform city centre Limassol Municipality yesterday unveiled plans for the transformation of the town’s historic centre and seafront, with a view to revamping the image of these areas, as well as better accommodating citizens’ needs.
This will be done through the overhaul of the town’s centre and sea reclamation area, as well as the creation of GaryllisLinearPark.
“These are ambitious and innovative projects because they aim significantly to alter the appearance of the town’s centre,” said Mayor of Limassol Andreas Christou.
The municipality will work on these projects in co-operation with Town Planning, and most of the funding will be provided by the EU structural funds. The total cost of the three projects will reach €22-24million, 85 per cent of which will be covered by the EU funds.
The municipality yesterday presented the preliminary plans for the town centre and sea reclamation area, while plans for the GaryllisLinearPark are being prepared. The completion of the sea reclamation and town centre projects will take approximately two years, while the third project is expected to start in 2010 and be completed by 2011.
“In June, the plans will be submitted to the government, and we aim to start work by 2009,” Christou added.
The plans for Limassol’s historic centre were based on an Area Plan, the traffic study conducted by MetsovionUniversity for the placement of TEPAK, as well as on the Limassol Local Plan. The main aim of the project is the protection and projection of historic and cultural elements, as well as the town’s architectural heritage.
The project involves the development of a new and improved traffic network, which will encourage walking and the use of public transport, as well as the creation of 600 parking spaces. The town’s public transport network will be significantly improved, while walking will be encouraged through the creation of wider pavements and tile-paved areas.
Four new squares will be created at the Mediaeval Castle area, Saripolou Street, University Square near the Town Hall, and the B’ Municipal Market square. The plans also encourage the placement of public service providers in underground sites.
The plans for the seafront area envision the creation of a multi-functional seaside park at the side of the current sea reclamation area. The area will be revamped through the creation of additional services for visitors, including cafes, bicycle lanes, pedestrian walks and a small theatre for cultural events. In addition, more parking spaces and benches will be created along the seafront strip.
