Cyprus Mail 16 May 2020 -by Nick Theodoulou
File photo of the campsite
THE redeveloped Baths of Aphrodite camping site should be ready in time for tourists this summer, the mukhtar of Neo Chorio, Andreas Christodoulou has told the Cyprus Mail.
The wrangling over the disputed area – right on the doorstep of Akamas – has been bitter and protracted, lasting decades. Environmentalists decry what they say is encroachment into the Natura 2000 area, while others praise an opportunity to boost the local economy.
“It has been passed by all the necessary departments, game fund, environment, antiquities – everything,” Christodoulou said.
“Our community has had hardships for decades and we are now moving forwards, but there are some who do not wish to see this happen.”
The upgraded site will have the capacity for 17 caravans, 43 tents and a parking lot for 60 cars and two boats. It will also feature four buildings.
It is understood that there will be two bathrooms with showers (one will have clothes washing facility) and a kiosk for refreshments.
There will also be a catering building which will include an indoor and outdoor dining area as well as a shared kitchen.
There are plans for a children’s play area, a volleyball field, an administration building which will include a security guard’s office and a small grocery store.
Asked whether people will be able to visit by June or July – coronavirus restrictions permitting – Christodoulou said “we hope so yes, that’s the goal. Water and electricity are already there, it’s basically ready.”
The upgraded camping site, however, has environmentalists alarmed at the impact the project itself may have on the area, but also what the wider implications are for the future of Akamas.
“The baths of Aphrodite are on the doorstep of Akamas, it is the first step into the Natura area,” said Andreas Evlavis, Green Party MP in Paphos.
“The road there also leads towards the blue lagoon. Once work is done to widen it and expand it – in the name of safety – then it’s the first step into more development in Akamas.”
He emphasised that they were not against camping, saying “the best tourism is contact with nature”.
Giorgos Perdikis, leader of the Greens, reiterated that his party is not opposed to camping but that it should have been done in a wiser and more sensitive way.
“They could have even had one closer or in Latsi and that way it could have been bigger,” he told the Cyprus Mail.
He explained that a larger camping site in Latsi would have been a better idea for two main reasons: it wouldn’t threaten Akamas with possible fires from campers and it could have been even better for local businesses as more people could camp there.
Last week, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris confirmed that work has begun on the camping site.
It was not immediately clear, however, how much of the facility will be completed in time for this summer. It appears work has happened quickly so as not to miss the tourist season, but efforts were delayed by the coronavirus lockdown.
The camping site has been a controversial topic for decades as caravans had set up an illegal permanent presence right on the foothills of the Akamas hiking trail.
The illegal site was dismantled by the Neo Chorio community council in September 2019. About 30 caravans and makeshift structures were removed.
As the camping site is almost ready to receive its first guests this summer, Christodoulou said that hundreds of extra visitors will boost local businesses.
“When someone’s tire gets punctured, they’ll go to the mechanic, when they need pita bread they’ll go to the supermarket and go to the butcher’s for meat – it’s all connected and it’s a chain, everyone will get a bit more.”
“At some point we used to have [in Neo Chorio] fifteen cafes, but since January there isn’t a single one left. The last person working there was making 10-15 euros a day so she closed it.”
