Tenders for Paphos Marina advisers within next three months, says Deputy Tourism Minister

A public procurement will be launched over the next three months for advisory services to help the Deputy Ministry of Tourism prepare the terms for the tender to develop Paphos Marina.

Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis revealed the news at a special event by the Paphos Tourism Development and Promotion Board this week that was held to present the board’s work during 2022 as well as its new Smart Tourism actions for 2023 onwards. It is noted that Paphos is the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2023.

Koumis said Paphos Marina was an extremely important and strategic project that has received the Deputy Ministry’s backing.

Tourism overall, he added, is among the government’s top priorities, with the focus being on revising and reinforcing the National Tourism Strategy for the local industry’s sustainable growth. According to Koumis, the aim is to support private initiatives, boost economic policy to strengthen and develop new markets, further develop the inland and countryside, as well as step up efforts to resolve longstanding problems the industry has been facing, such as noise pollution and so on.

Koumis reassured the Paphos tourism board that the deputy ministry would continue to support and promote its efforts, while he also congratulated the board’s participation in important European programmes that have seriously benefited the district.

The Tourism board’s president, Kyriakos Droushiotis, gave a brief presentation of the current conditions and future actions, and said that despite the significant progress of the past few years, the town still needed the help and support of the government and other agencies.

Droushiotis said the focus was on sustainability and showcasing Paphos’ cultural wealth, to make it just as competitive as other destinations. He added that the town’s tourism product was somewhat outdated, saying it needed to be upgraded. He mentioned high hotel costs and delays in building infrastructure – such as Paphos Marina and the Paphos airport road – among the main challenges facing the local industry.

According to Droushiotis, 2019 was a milestone year for Paphos, which welcomed 1.6 million visitors who brought in revenue of around €1.2b. “In 2022, we managed to have 80% and 85% of that respectively, in terms of arrivals and revenue”. And stakeholders are anticipating 2023 to be just as good as 2019 – if not even better.

(Source: InBusinessNews)