By Andrea Sophocleous
A BIG Swedish tour operator is threatening to exclude Larnaca from its programme unless the city takes urgent steps towards improving its tourist product.
In a letter addressed to Larnaca Council, to the Cyprus Hotels Association, the Chamber of Commerce and the city’s police chief, the Swedish organisation lists a number of complaints by Swedish tourists who holiday in Larnaca. Specific mention is made to the piles of seaweed on Larnaca’s beaches, the problem of noise pollution and the issue of the early closure of Larnaca discos, which causes Swedish tourists to seek the livelier offerings of Ayia Napa’s nightlife.
This latest development is a new blow for Larnaca in view of its poor showing in Cyprus’ tourism market.
In the last two years, Larnaca has seen a marked fall in its share of the market in comparison to the other resorts on the island. It came last in terms of hotel bookings in 1996 and 1997. In 1996, only 43.5 per cent of Larnaca’s hotel capacity was filled, while the figure was 60 per cent for the free areas of Famagusta, 54 per cent in Limassol and 60 per cent in Paphos. In 1997, Larnaca’s hotel bookings fell to 38.5 per cent of capacity.
The Swedish tour operator is one of the biggest doing business with Larnaca, bringing tourists to ten hotels in the area.
The president of the Larnaca branch of the Cyprus Hotels Association, Fotis Adonis, yesterday confirmed that Larnaca faced a serious problem, arguing city officials — the ones with the power to do something about it — must realise this and heed calls for improvement of the area.
He listed the further development of the seaside Finikoudes area, the completion of the Larnaca to Dhekelia road, the construction of parking areas in the town centre and the general cleaning up of the city as the main challenges for the city’s local council.
And he added that the seaweed problem could be solved, though he stressed the cleaning up had to be done on a regular basis.
The council does clear away the seaside mess during the summer months, but Adonis pointed out that tour operators came to Cyprus in the winter to assess hotels and local services — and were then struck by the tide of seaweed.
He was having to put winter guests in rooms looking away from the beach so that they did not have a view of the piles of seaweed, Adonis said.
And the Larnaca hotel association head blamed the problem of noise pollution on powerful motorcycles that race up and down the town’s seaside road into the early hours of the morning.
Adonis accused police of not doing anything to monitor the noise.
The mayor of Larnaca was yesterday unavailable for comment.
