THE FRENCH construction company Bouygues Batiment International plans to construct a public car racing track near Larnaca Airport.
“It will offer young people of the relatively large racing community, tuning community, biker community and others the opportunity to do something considered a dangerous sport in a safe environment,” Alexei Rechov, manager of the company’s branch in Cyprus said.
The project could involve an investment of up to 40 million euros, according to Rechov. “We will be participants with equity together with other investors.”
A feasibility study has already been completed and presented to Hermes Airports, and construction on the project will begin next year, if everything goes according to plan, according to Bouygues’ branch manager.
Bouygues, which operates in the areas of construction, telecommunications, entertainment and utility management, is holder of 22 per cent of Hermes Airports, the operator of both international airports in Cyprus. It is also part of the consortium negotiating with the government for the construction of the Larnaca Marina, which also includes the construction of port facilities, infrastructure, a commercial centre and residences for a total investment of 500-600 million euros.
“Our goal is to create a win-win situation for all parties involved,” Rechov said. “We have seen that there is a lot of government support for the project, and the town of Larnaca really wants it, but we cannot create a project from enthusiasm alone.”
The Larnaca Marina project is no “Eldorado” however. “There are no easy projects,” Rechov said.
“We need to make sure that the project is attractive and that we will have tourists and cruise ships in the future as well as buyers of properties,” he said.
A lot will depend on Cyprus remaining an attractive tourism destination, “but the loss of competitiveness will put it at risk in the long term,” he added.
The company also aims at participating in other large scale build, operate, transfer (BOT) projects, including the construction of football stadiums, Rechov said. “Our strategy in general is not to wait for something to happen and get involved in it but to make it happen.”
