Filenews 16 November 2020 - by Dora Christodoulou
In addition to the major projects carried out in Paphos over the past five years which radically changed the image and functioning of the city, the Municipal Authority and other tourist, economic and social bodies of Paphos have been moving forward in recent years and promoting some other projects, which can be described as "low-political", in the sense of the cost of their execution or the publicity they receive. But projects that prove to be of enormous importance in terms of improving the daily lives of its citizens and the image that is being broadcast internationally for Paphos today. Number one project of this kind is considered by the competent authorities, the Multi-Purpose Social Care Center of the Municipality. A project for which crews work day and night in order to keep its operating schedule in early December without any delay.
Those passing over Vasilios Konstantinos see the large building illuminated during the evening hours, with crews continuing intensive work in and out of the building complex.
The social contribution of the project is demonstrated before it even works, since from the first days of registration for infants and children, dozens of families proceeded to register their children, while multiple ones expressed interest asking for details. At the same time, for the three nursery positions that will be employed in the center, more than 60 applications have already been submitted to the offices of the Municipality of Paphos by interested professionals, which makes the prospects of the new social project of Paphos more than prospering according to the competent authorities.
The impressive and state-of-the-art Multi-Purpose Social Care Centre is located on Vasilios Konstantinos Street and was created by the Municipality of Paphos, with the main aim of serving the working mothers and young families of the city. It will start operating in the next few days, with the following sections:
Infants 4 months - 2 years old, with monthly right of care €200
Infants 2-3 years old, with monthly right of care €180
Children 3-4 years old, with monthly right of care €180
Afternoon - children 5-12 years old, with a monthly entitlement of €100.
The opening hours of the sections for infants, toddlers and children are from 07.30 to 13.30 or from 07.30 to 15.00 and for afternoon work from 13.00 to 17.00 or from 13.00 to 18.00.
Another project, whose value is highlighted at every opportunity by the officials of the Municipality of Paphos is the establishment and operation of the new academic institution Pafos Innovation Institute, launched on 30 October by the President of the Republic.
President Anastasiades said at the opening ceremony that the initiative to create the state-of-the-art infrastructure of the Academic Foundation, which will operate under the supervision of the University of IDCHerzliya in Israel, is an example to be emulated for the other municipalities of Cyprus.
The mayor of Paphos, Phaedon Phaedon, gave the mark of this innovative initiative of the municipality and highlighted the importance it has for the city and its residents.
"The determining criterion," he said, "is the degree of impact a project has on people's lives. This project will not immediately affect the society of the city, but it is my belief that in the long run it can play a decisive role in changing course, in redefining the stigma of this city. Our future and our destiny, we shape them ourselves. I assure you that our future will be better because that is how we want it and that is how we decided."
The next "low policy" intervention of the Municipality of Paphos is expected to take place on the main avenue of Apostolos Pavlos which leads from the center of the city to the port and the tourist area.
The reason for the historic building complex of carobmills. The developments were recently announced by the President of the Republic himself, stressing that in November, the Council of Ministers will decide to grant the historical site for Paphos, so that they can be used accordingly by the municipal authority.
Technology brings out the myth of Venus
A recent, "humble" action by The Paphos institutions, aimed mainly at tourism, is already proving to be more than "ambassador" of Paphos in the international arena. European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN) awards have been received by the Community of Koukla for the intervention of the Paphos Region Tourism Development and Promotion Society (EFF) on the technological application for the promotion of the myth of Aphrodite using augmented-reality technology, in the context of the transformation of Paphos into a "smart destination".
This year the general theme of the ECTN Awards was: "Development and promotion of tourism of special interests based on Cultural Heritage", while the community of Koukla as a local authority was distinguished in the category "Innovation and digitisation in sustainable cultural tourism, for the creation of smart destinations".
The annual ECTN Awards aim to enhance the visibility of European cultural tourism destinations by creating a platform for sharing experiences and knowledge and promoting networking between destinations. The institution has been in place since 2014 for the benefit of destinations, communities, partnerships, businesses, citizens and visitors. The 2020 edition of the "Destination for Sustainable Cultural Tourism" Awards was organised by ECTN in collaboration with EuropaNostra, the European Travel Commission and NECSTouR, with the support of the Council of Europe's "The Palms" and "IterVitis" cultural routes.
The winners of the awards are recognised as examples of excellence that inspire other tourist destinations and encourage the further development of sustainable and responsible cultural tourism initiatives.
