More than 100,000 visitors expected at State Fair next week

THE 32nd Cyprus International Fair kicks off next week, which will highlight the achievements made by business over the past year.
More than 300 exhibitors will be displaying products and services from around 1,000 local companies, as well as 25 from abroad.

For the third successive year, the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce will also be participating.

The event runs from May 11 to 20, with doors open from 6pm to 11pm. The entrance fee is £3 or £1 for students. More than 100,000 visitors are anticipated.
The Cyprus State Fairs Authority was founded in 1968, with the first annual International Fair taking place in 1975.

According to Loris Tryfon, Chairman of the Authority, “it is a semi-state organisation with the purpose of organising and hosting exhibitions, conferences, trade and other events that aim to enhance the Cypriot economy as a whole and the international promotion of Cyprus that will encourage the increase of qualitatively upgraded professional tourism.”

He added that, “almost 40 years after the Authority’s establishment and following Cyprus’ accession to the EU, it has been made clear that perceptions and demands have diversified, requiring the upgrade and modernisation of our facilities.”
He also said that following numerous efforts, they are now ready to proceed on the basis of a master plan to the creation of a totally contemporary exhibition and conference centre in Nicosia, which will have the capacity of hosting events from around the world.

“We would like to ensure that our government, aided by state policy for swift decisions, will be in a position to achieve this by 2012, the year when Cyprus will undertake the EU Presidency. We will cease to use a variety of titles to describe the Authority’s grounds and will from now simply use the term, EXPO-Cyprus.”
In the framework of the new development plan, EXPO-Cyprus will provide technologically upgraded halls of more than 20,000 square metres for indoor exhibitions and 20,000 square metres for outdoor events.

“As a full EU member, Cyprus endeavours to publicise the activities in which it holds an advantage, with the aim of turning the island into a contemporary, regional business centre connecting Europe to the Middle East, Africa and Asia,” Tryfon said.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.