Filenews 3 July 2023 - by Dora Christodoulou
The month that has begun has been locked, as everything shows, for the restart of the procedures that will finally lead to the practical start of the marina construction works in Paphos as well.
The assurances of state officials in recent months seem to be confirmed, following the meeting that the President of the Pafos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, George Mais, had with the Deputy Minister of Tourism these days.
Speaking to "F" about the large and chronic, as it evolved, project of Pafos, Mr. Mais stressed that the announcement for the recruitment of consultants for the Pafos marina will be made as planned by the end of July without any delay. "From the information I received from Mr. Koumis," said Mr. Mais, "it was made clear that Pafos' positions have been adopted regarding the outline that will govern the bidding of the major project."
Practically, this means, explained the president of the Pafos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, that the investor who will finally be selected will have the opportunity to build a hotel, a pier for cruise ships and some villas. Of these three key points, he clarified, two had been satisfied by correspondence and the one of maritime development remained, which was finally accepted by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism at last Wednesday's meeting.
George Mais described as very positive the fact that the planning for hiring project consultants by the end of July has not changed, while, equally promising, he said, is the fact that the positions of Pafos stakeholders on the development framework have also been satisfied.
The next key step for the promotion of the project for the construction of a marina in Paphos is now the recruitment of consultants. This, according to the president of the NLG, presupposes the preparation of the tender documents to find investors.
The tender will concern the method of construction and interested investors will be invited based on the terms of the notice, he stressed, while regarding the timetable for finalizing the selection of consultants, he estimated that this will be feasible before the end of this year.
Beyond that, Mais said, it will depend on how long will be determined in the consultation that will take place with the deputy ministry of tourism to prepare the documents, which will not be the sole responsibility of the consultants. The mission of these experts, he said, is to help the Deputy Ministry prepare the tender documents.
The positive developments of the days around the project that has been converted into a bridge of Arta for the district of Pafos, are met with great satisfaction by all bodies and actors of the district, given that it is considered the project that will have huge multiple benefits for Pafos.
The benefits for Pafos will have to do with both the development of nautical tourism and the attraction of investments, observes George Mais.
The Paphos marina, with a capacity of one thousand boats, will be built in an area of 155,000 sq.m. of which 40,000 sq. m. will be used for residential tourism and cultural development, while another 2,500 sq. m. will house other services, such as clinics and reception areas.
With this project, in addition to the permanent jobs that will be created, the surrounding area will also be developed, he pointed out. Huge interest in the project was expressed at times, whenever it appeared to be promoted, by boat owners for their transportation through Pafos to the Middle East, Greek islands and coasts of Asia Minor. "That is why we hope that the project will now be implemented as soon as possible", said the president of the Pafos Chamber of Commerce. The Paphos marina will be built at the location "Potima" of Kissonerga, on the coastal avenue of Coral Bay.
