But is it all too good to be true?
IT TOOK a long time coming, but now at long last it’s here – maybe. The much-vaunted creation of a marina has been set in motion, a project that is hoped will give a boost to the island’s flagging tourism industry.
The site has been selected, all the necessary technical studies have been carried out and clearance from the Town Planning Department – always a problem – has been given. With the bureaucratic dragon slain, the government is now waiting for investors to take an interest.
The Commerce Ministry insists that this time round it’s done its homework – in order for the project to be viable, experts are full aware that a standalone marina will not cut the mustard. Yachters casting anchor on the Cypriot coast will also need a place to stay, entertainment and shopping.
To that end, some 40,000 square metres of state-owned land around the marina will be set aside for development of apartments, parking space, restaurants and a shopping mall. The marina is projected to have berth space for a maximum of 1,000 yachts.
The chosen location is Kissonerga, about 10km from the centre of Paphos. The ambitious project is estimated to cost close to £100 million: £60 million for the building of the marina and supporting facilities, and the remaining £40m for land development in the surrounding area.
This second component is vital, as the success of the whole endeavour depends on attracting investors.
But even assuming everything goes as planned, it would take at least four years for the marina to go operational. The reason: more red tape.
The timeline for the whole procedure is truly daunting: the deadline for the submission of pre-qualification documents is December 22; on February 28, 2006, five candidates will be pre-selected; the bidders will submit their tenders in November 2006; the tenders will be evaluated by March 30, 2007; finally, negotiations with the successful bidder begin on April 17, 2007.
From then on, it could take anywhere from two to three years for completion of construction and the issuing of all the relevant licences.
The contract is based on the DBFOT (Design, Build, Finance, Operate & Transfer) system; the selected contractor, or concessionaire, would run the project for a period of 60 to 90 years, after which it would transfer it back to the state.
Critics say that the tourism industry is in the throes of a crisis, and that the present administration has already wasted two precious years clearing the way for implementation. It could be a case of too little, too late, they say.
The decision to tap into the growing nautical tourism was taken more than 10 years ago by the Clerides government.
But a Commerce Ministry official we spoke to yesterday seemed unfazed by the length of time it would take to realise the project. He was upbeat that the tenders evaluation would be completed by February 2006 and that everything would roll smoothly from then on.
The same source was reluctant to even consider complications along the way, despite the fact that the history of public tenders in Cyprus is rife with such examples. One of the most common glitches has been rejected bidders protesting the awarding of the contract, which has often led to the cancelling of the tender process and starting from scratch.
More simply, the government’s way of doing business has always put off investors. But the Commerce Ministry says that several companies, including from abroad, have shown interest.
The building of marinas on the island is just one of several grand ventures aimed at generating “high-quality tourism”; the 9/11 terror attacks have taken their toll on the local industry but, unlike other countries, Cyprus has not bounced back from the slump.
Meanwhile, competition in the region is mounting; increasingly, Mediterranean seafarers are turning to neighbouring destinations, such as Lebanon, Israel, Greece and Turkey. And the developing north is now getting into the mix, with plans for a large marina near Yialoussa.
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