Tag: Cyprus

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Great Britain – Cyprus Business Association Business Orientation 2021

On Tuesday the 23rd November 2021 the Great Britain Cyprus Business Association held a Business Orientation Conference at the Marriot Regents Park. The event was attended by the Minister of the Interior, Nicos Nouris, representatives of established developers, solicitors, investment consultants, accountants and other members of the rapidly expanding Cypriot business community.

Trellows is very proud to be a member of this professional organisation that was founded by Mr Savvas Kyriakides, to promote exposure, collaboration and expansion of the Cypriot business community, a task that the founder takes very seriously in his relentless efforts to connect businesses within Cyprus, around the UK and beyond.

There is no doubt that the Cypriot commercial compass has been recalibrated in recent years, taking the island on a carefully chartered course to a destination that will see it become the centre for financial investment, management and corporate presence for businesses seeking a presence within the EU, with simplified and favourable tax regulations, as well as access to one of the highest proportions of postgraduate educated populations in the world.

Cyprus has experience exponential growth in overseas investment and business relocation, with the completion of Brexit, making Cyprus, an island with a historical nexus to the UK a preferred EU headquarters or satellite location for many British businesses.

The property market in Cyprus is not only robust, but also benefits from excellent growth, yield and increasing demand.

The speakers at the conference consistently underlined the positive benefits of investing in Cyprus, whilst announcing several innovations, to legislation that will serve to increase the appeal of Cyprus as an expanding business and investment hub.

Trellows would like to thank the members who attended as well as those who could not, as they are part of a business community that is gathering pace and capturing the attention of businesses and investors worldwide.

If you would like to know more about joining the Great Britain – Cyprus Business Association please visit their website or contact the founder directly.

Savvas Kyriakides
savvas@gbcy.business
Visit the GBCBA website HERE

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Cyprus life – The Ciao Stelio deluxe hotel

Across the street from the closest beach along Larnaca Bay, this sleek adults-only hotel is 3 km from Larnaca Castle and 5 km from Larnaca International Airport.
Airy rooms feature free Wi-Fi, satellite TV and minifridges, as well as marble bathrooms, and tea and coffeemaking equipment. Upgraded rooms and suites add sitting areas, as well as balconies with city or sea views; some have en suite spa-style facilities. A 1-bedroom suite offers separate living rooms. In-room dining is available 24/7.
Parking and access to an adjacent gym, indoor pool and sauna are free.
The jewel in the crown of this stunning hotel must be Enigma restaurant, this has to be experienced to be believed. This is not a mainstream restaurant, like so many others, this is a world class restaurant with every single it on the menu vying for first place.
This is definitely worth a visit if you are in Larnaca.

Visit their website HERE

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Cyprus life – Souvlaki GR Larnaca

Souvlaki.gr

Nestled within a few other casual eating establishments, just of the main Finnikoudes seafront is a little gem, a place where you can get restaurant quality food at fast food prices.

Souvlaki.gr has

become very popular in Larnaca and that is no surprise, the food is absolutely amazing, possible the finest Greek salad you can find, (Greek Salad is basically Tomato, Cucumber, Red Onion, Feta Cheese, Black Olives with Olive Oil and Oregano)

The salad is to die for!

There is a very comprehensive menu, with everything from a small portion of Souvlaki (grilled diced Pork or Chicken) in a Greek Pitta, which is round, to large platters and everything in between which allows you to customise your meal to suit your own tastes.

Personally, as I like to eat healthy, I normally order a Salad and then two or three skewers of Souvlaki, normally I might have one Chicken and one Pork and there I have a really healthy meal for no more than a price of a Burger in a fast food take away.

The service is always good and everything is cooked to order as you would expect.

They have also recently opened a branch near the village of Kiti, near Larnaca airport, it is on the main road as you drive in to Kiti. This has opened recently and it is a larger premises than the one in town, with a large smart covered seating area. The service is exactly as you would expect and the food is at the same high standard.

Larnaca

Kiti

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Cyprus Life – Peroutsios Larnaca

Peroutsios was founded in 1948 by Antonis Peroutsios who worked here night and day until he passed away in 1995.

This is little more than a shack with a Charcoal BBQ, but it is one the best known and highly regarded destination for a casual sit down Souvlaki(diced Pork grilled on a skewer and served in Pitta bread with salad) in Larnaca.

So what makes this place so special?

First and foremost, everything is ALWAYS fresh. The salad never feels as though it is past its sell-by date, but served anyway….no, it is always crunchy and indicates a  early morning trip to the market, something that really demands dedication.

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Cyprus life – To Kazani Aradipou

Do you miss the REAL CYPRUS? Do you miss the days before the seafronts were hijacked by franchises and soul-less commercialised tourist traps?

To Kazani is located in the heart of Aradippou, just on the northern edge of Larnaca is one of Larnaca’s best kept secret. A family run restaurant, with a wonderful atmosphere, beautiful food and pleasant live music.

Unlike many other places with live music, that seem to be so loud that it is painful, the music is set at a perfect volume, loud enough to dance, loud enough to enjoy, yet subtle enough to allow conversation, for me, loud music is the greatest factor to spoiling my night, I like to enjoy music, not hold my ears in pain and in that regard, this place has the music down to perfection.

The restaurant is run by a family, with all the children taking part, from chef to waitress, to host. They treat customers as friends and invariably, by the time people leave, they are your friends.

The restaurant is a traditional two storey building, with both floors set aside for dining and live music downstairs. The outside has a beautiful terrace with a traditional feel, which is used during the summer months, but during the winter, everything is indoors (apart from the smoking, which this restaurant does enforce strictly, unlike some other places that give in to smokers, albeit illegally)

The food is to a very high standard, traditional and not pretentious and overpriced, local food, for local people at local prices.

We had Meze, which is often the first choice as it turns simple dining in to a slow paced and social occasion. I have been to other places for Meze and found that everything is hurled at you far too quickly, making you feel rushed, pressured and doesn’t help with indigestion. The key to enjoying a Meze is SLOW….very slow, it is supposed to be nibbled as part of the evening, not thrust at you in a hurry and sadly many places are guilty of this, those I would never recommend or return to, but happily that is not the case here. The food arrived at a comfortable steady pace, which was a pleasure.

After our meal, we were brought some fruit and a piece of Paklava for each of us, not just a token small piece but a full sized piece that was actually fresh and perfect.

If you are spending any time in Larnaca, then you would be very well advised to pay this place a visit, but book well in advance, they are very busy and deservedly so.

Visit them on Facebook HERE

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Polemi concentration camp Pafos

A concentration camp in Polemi once housed 400 Eoka suspects in the final days of their campaign

As one of Europe’s foremost tourist destinations, Cyprus prefers to focus on its beaches, archaeological sites and traditional villages, but it is also home to several non-clichéd places that are of special interest to dark tourists.

For those unfamiliar with the term, “dark tourism” refers to visiting places associated with death and suffering. The increasing popularity of visiting morbid landmarks around the world associated with assassination, incarcerations, genocide, ethnic cleansing, war, disaster, ghost stories and scares, has a long tradition that goes back to the battle that marked the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. According to J. John Lennon, a professor of tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, who coined the term with a colleague in 1996, “People would watch from their carriages as the Battle of Waterloo took place.”

Nowadays, dark tourism sites act as vehicles of historical exposition, educating subsequent generations about the ‘lessons’ of the past. With an appetite for such destinations growing, Cyprus could easily call that growth in dark tourism.Apart from the obvious sites, such as the ghost town of Varosha, abandoned Nicosia airport (for those who can enter), eerie scenes of empty buildings and streets – criss-crossed with barbed wire – along Nicosia’s green line, ghostly rumours that swirl around the once-famous Berengaria hotel, a deserted village in Paphos that once belonged to the Knights Templar, Jewish Holocaust Museum of Cyprus, and the imprisoned graves and gallows in the Central Jail of Nicosia, dark tourists can venture out to another morbid site located just outside Paphos.

Polemi becomes a carpet of wild tulips every year as locals and holidaymakers visit the ever-popular flower festival to experience the springtime phenomenon. But, if on the surface, Polemi’s countryside appears to be peaceful and idyllic, the village was also once home to a gruesome concentration camp, notorious for the horrific and inhumane conditions suffered by some 400 Cypriot detainees. A reminder of the brutal effects of colonialism, the Polemi Concentration Camp was one of eight operated by the British to house and interrogate Eoka prisoners during the Greek-Cypriot fight to end British rule in Cyprus, from 1955-1959.

The concentration camp, or detention centre, opened towards the end of the conflict in August 1958, and operated for just over 100 days. Surrounded by barbed wire, Polemi’s prison camp was known for its violence, cruelty and torture to which the prisoners were subjected.

Today, little remains of the original camp, apart from the imposing guard tower, two old army vehicles, and a small tin Nissen hut housing important artefacts, including a miniature model of the camp in its original state.

Inside, an uncanny silence migrates between the rural present and Cyprus’ turbulent past. A memorial wall features a display of registration photographs, as prisoners were marched in front of a camera, and forced to stand as they were processed into the camp and given a number. Often held without trial, prisoners were compelled to live in tents, and permitted to move around the small yard for limited hours during the day. According to written testimonies and eyewitness accounts, available at the museum, members of the British army would often enter the tents at night and mercilessly beat up prisoners, keeping them awake by firing shots and throwing stones.

A military handbook given to sentries upon their arrival to the camp, on display at the museum, made it permissible to open fire if a detainee had crossed the six-yard wire, caused destruction to government property, or attempted an escape. The camp at Polemi was mainly populated by Greek-Cypriot males, although occasionally women were also interned, including youths and minors under the age of 16.

In 2004, the site was converted into a war museum, serving as a reminder of the horrors perpetrated under British rule.

In the last few years, tourists and their demands have frequently been changing, however there are those who are fascinated with places that are synonymous with the darkest periods of human history.

Dark tourism has become an important branch of Cyprus’ tourism industry, having a positive impact on both tourists and locals. From a social perspective, it provides psychological and emotional benefits to local communities and can be used for learning and reflection on issues that contributed to tragedy, especially for future generations.

Polemi Concentration Camp is open to the public all year round, Monday – Sunday (8am – 5pm), and entrance is free.

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Is the Lionfish a threat to the Cypriot Ecosystem?

“The increasing numbers of lionfish around Cyprus created the need to create a platform that allows scientists to monitor their abundance and distribution in the area so that we can control their populations and their negative effects,”

According to the researchers working on the project, the lionfish is reproducing rapidly and in the Mediterranean no predator has yet been identified. It consumes mainly native fish and invertebrates found in the marine area of Cyprus, including species of commercial value, having the potential result of disruption of local biodiversity and fishing stocks.

As numbers proliferate, so have fears of the flamboyantly coloured fish posing the biggest ecological setback to ecosystems in the Mediterranean – which is already under pressure from pollution, tourism and over-exploitation. In the EU, Cyprus has become “the first line of defence” against the lionfish invasion.

With mounting evidence of the species’ capacity to outcompete other fish, the Cypriot government has increasingly come round to the idea of organised culls – acknowledging that if the pest is not brought under control lionfish will have an effect on commercial fishing.

A government spokesman said:

“If culls prove to be an effective tool in managing this problem we will apply it for sure. It is illegal in Cyprus to hunt using scuba diving equipment but in this case we are permitting it. We can’t say we’re not worried.”

On an island dependent on tourism, the department is taking measures to inform the public ahead of summer. Although there have been no known fatalities caused by lionfish stings, human contact with the venom is horribly painful as fishermen have discovered pulling catches from nets.

The first cull was held in a marine protected area off Cape Greco, with prizes handed out for harpooning the smallest and largest fish. The government is keen to encourage local fishermen and divers to get involved in the hunt.”

Lionfish, have no natural enemies, laboratory dissections had proved they were also furnished with ferocious appetites. “They eat everything. Culling this invasive species is the only effective way to reduce their numbers and ensure marine-protected areas continue to regenerate.”

In addition to removal action teams, surveillance platforms to monitor lionfish were being developed as part of the EU-funded programme.

 “This is a regional problem and our insights and knowledge will be transferred and replicated in surrounding countries.”

Global warming and the rise in sea temperatures have encouraged the invasion.

Scientists believe expansion works to the Suez Canal have also played a role, by enabling the toxic fish to migrate from native habitats in the Red Sea. The canal, which is one of the world’s most important waterways, was widened and deepened to cater for ever-bigger container ships only three years ago.

“That may have saved time and money but to do it without any biosecurity measures in place was mad,”

 “The oceans are bleeding invasive and damaging species into the Mediterranean like a cut artery.”

Lionfish were by far the greatest offenders with the highest impact on marine ecology because they are such voracious and adept predators. Environmental watchdogs have said invasive species are now among the top five leading causes of biodiversity loss globally. In the western Atlantic lionfish have been linked to the reduction of coral reef fish by about 65%.

Culls have proved highly effective in the Caribbean where the species has been blamed for destruction of coral reefs, diminishing populations of other fish and vast ecological damage.

“In these waters I think we may have missed the chance to eradicate them completely because they will spread as the seas warm,”

There is still time to control the population especially in marine-protected areas. And even better lionfish could be good business. In all of this there is a silver lining, as firm-fleshed fish they taste absolutely wonderful. There’s definitely a niche market to be had putting lionfish on dinner tables.

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Cyprus Property sales improve in all market segments

All market segments saw an improved number of property sales in September compared to the same period last year according to figures published by the Department of Lands and Surveys.

Domestic sales
Property sales to the domestic market, which accounted for 63% of all sales in September rose by 9% compared to September 2021 and by 41% compared to September 2019.

With the exception of Famagusta, where sales were down 7% compared to last year, they rose in the remaining four districts.

Sales in Limassol rose 21%, followed by Larnaca (9%), Nicosia (3%) and Paphos (1%)

On an annual basis, sales have risen in all districts. Sales in Paphos (59%), Famagusta (54%), Limassol (47%) and Larnaca (34%).

Sales to the domestic market have been encouraged by the government’s interest rate subsidy scheme, which will continue until the end of 2021. The ceiling for loans for house purchases was raised from €300,000 to €400,000 in February and the scheme provides an interest rate subsidy of 1.5% for a period of four years.

However, bear in mind that the figures include an unreported number of ‘non-sale’ agreements such as loan restructurings, recoveries and debt-to-asset swaps agreed between the banks and defaulting borrowers in efforts by the banks to reduce their non-performing loan portfolios.

Foreign sales
Property sales to the overseas market, which accounted for 37% of all sales in September, rose by 30% compared to September 2021 and by 19% compared to pre-COVID September 2019.

With the exception of Paphos, where sales were down 2%, they rose in the remaining four districts.

Sales in Larnaca rose 86%, followed by Limassol (38%), Famagusta (31%) and Nicosia (29%).

On an annual basis, although sales in Paphos were down 7% and sales in Famagusta remained almost unchanged, sales in Nicosia rose 63%, followed by Larnaca (29%) and Limassol (15%).

Sales to EU citizens
Sales to the EU segment of the overseas market, which accounted for 17% of all sales in September, rose by 30% compared to September 2021 and by 45% compared to pre-COVID September 2019.

Sales rose in all districts. In percentage terms, Famagusta led the way with sales up 267%, followed by Larnaca (86%), Nicosia (36%), Limassol (8%) and Paphos (2%).

On an annual basis, the number of properties sold to EU citizens has risen in all districts. Larnaca (81%), Nicosia (73%), Limassol (43%). Famagusta (31%) and Paphos (30%).

Sales to non-EU citizens
Sales to the non-EU segment of the overseas market, which accounted for 20% of all sales in September, rose by 30% compared to September 2021 and by 3% compared to pre-COVID September 2019.

Although sales in Famagusta and Paphos fell by 30% and 8%, they rose 86% in Larnaca, 66% in Limassol and 14% in Nicosia.

On an annual basis, sales in Paphos and Larnaca are down 37% and 22% respectively. However, sales in Nicosia have risen 49% and sales in Larnaca and Limassol have risen 10% and 2% respectively.

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Athalassa National Park

Located on the south-eastern edge of the city of Lefkosia (Nicosia), Athalassa National Forest Park has a total area of 840 hectares and is an oasis of greenery with many endemic, indigenous trees, shrubs and herbs. Athalassa was declared a National Forest Park in 1990, based on the provisions of the Forestry Legislation. It is located in the southeast of Nicosia and is surrounded, in the north by Aglantzia, in the south west by Strovolos, and Latsia and in the southeast by Geri.

In addition to its primary function as space and green lungs, the Park is offered for outdoor recreation activitied, physical exercise and environmental education and training. The Park is becoming increasingly important for the capital, mainly because of its geographical position – as it is easily accessible to the public- , but also because it is the largest free area of green areas in the wider region.

Geological samples, fossils and related objects are exhibited in a separate room, and visual material is used to present the local fauna and flora.

Its network of trails – covering 20 kilometres – makes it a popular place for cycling, walking and dog walking (on a designated pathway).

A park to walk, run or cycle. The best place for training in Nicosia. One gets the impression that they are in a forest. There is also a lake in the park something that makes Athalassa a very friendly destination for families with children.

The Botanical Gardens are open daily and are free of charge to visit, whilst the grounds of the park also incorporate a Visitor’s Centre that provides information about the environmental features of the park. A scale model replica of the park shows its basic natural features, vegetation and recreational facilities, whilst dioramas give three-dimensional representations of the area’s vegetation, birds, mammals and reptiles.

WHY LOCALS LOVE IT
It is the biggest green area in the capital and locals love to go there for a walk to cycle or simply to relax and appreciate all the wildlife that finds refuge there. There are also picnic facilities, which locals like to use on the weekends.

WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT IT
There are picnic facilities on the park, as well as sports ground and cycling paths, which makes the park a nice alternative for tourists. In addition, there is also a bird observation point, where people can learn more about the birds that live or visit the island.

SPECIAL TIP
Going there early in the morning is a unique experience!
THE VISITOR CENTRE
The Visitor Centre of the Athalassa National Forest Park is situated on the northeastern edge of the Agios Georgios Park, by the corner of the Kyreneia and Athalassa avenues, in Aglantzia. It is administered by the Department of Forests and was opened to the public in May, 2004. The buildings of the Centre are old government buildings restored by the Department of Forests in collaboration with other authorities.


Objectives of the Centre

The Visitor Centre’s general objective is to present the environmental features of the Athalassa Park and to provide information about the Park’s values and recreational opportunities offered. It also provides information on selected aspects of the general environment of the broader area of Mesaoria Plain, Larnaka Salt Lake and Kavo Gkreko National Forest Park. Within this context, an important function of the Centre is the promotion of environmental education and awareness especially of schoolchildren but also of the general public.

Facilities

The Centre is made up of a number of rather small spaces which include: a room with a scale model of the Athalassa Park, a laboratory, an office, four rooms with dioramas, a film/lecture theatre and exhibitions of geology, fauna and flora. A car park and toilets are also provided.

Exhibits

A scale model of the Park presents the major natural features, vegetation components and facilities of the Park. The dioramas are three-dimensional representations of selected, typical ecosystems of the general area showing the vegetation, birds, mammals and reptiles. Geological samples, fossils and related objects are exhibited in a separate room. Finally, the fauna and flora are presented through photographs, posters, samples and various other representations. Detailed information on flora and fauna can be obtained on properly designed computer screens.

Film Theatre

In this room a 20-minute film is shown to visitors, about the general environment of the Athalassa Park, Mesaoria Plain, Larnaka Salt Lake and Kavo Gkreko area

Office / Shop

From here, visitors can obtain information including various leaflets of interest. Books and souvenirs related to the Park can also be purchased

Laboratory

A number of microscopes and stereoscopes are available enabling visitors, especially schoolchildren, to explore the microscopic world of selected plant and animal samples

The Garden

A garden has been established just outside the center, where many plants, mostly indigenous of the area, can be seen together with geological samples.

The Agios Georgios Park

The Centre is within walking distance from the Agios Georgios Park offering a variety of recreational facilities and a pleasant environment.

Entrance Fee

Visitor Centre: Adults / children over 6, €1,00 / Children under 6, free

Working Hours

The Visitor Centre is open during working days.

Working Hours are:

Monday – Friday: 07:30 – 15:30
Closed on weekends and Public Holidays

Cycling Route National Forest Park Athalassa

Difficulty rate: An easy route for all types of bicycle.

Road condition: Paved road throughout.

Route description: National Forest Park Athalassa was given a 16km long bicycle path on the initiative of the Forestry Department. It is a popular area for the inhabitants of the capital, who go there to exercise or just for fun.

National Forest Park Athalassa is located south of Nicosia (Lefkosia) and to the east of the Nicosia – Limassol motorway.

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The Cyprus Railway

Cyprus Government Railway The Cyprus Government Railway was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway network that operated in Cyprus from October 1905 to December 1951. With a total length of 76 miles (122 km), there were 39 stations, stops and halts, the most prominent of which served Famagusta, Prastio Mesaoria, Angastina, Trachoni, Nicosia, Kokkinotrimithia, Morphou, Kalo Chorio and Evrychou.

The CGR was closed down due to financial reasons. An extension of the railway which was built to serve the Cyprus Mines Corporation operated until 1974. Background When the first British High Commissioner, Sir Garnet Wolseley, arrived in Cyprus in 1878, he was keen to construct a railway on the island but the project did not come to fruition for a long time, due to the uncertainty of the length of the British mandate in Cyprus. In July 1903, Frederick Shelford – on behalf of the Crown Agents – submitted a feasibility study for the construction of a railway line that would originate at Famagusta and terminate at Karavostasi via Nicosia and Morphou, at a total cost of £141,526. Construction The proposal was approved in November 1903 and the earthworks began in May 1904; the existing line at Famagusta harbour was extended South to Varosha by 1 mile (1.6 km) and Section 1 [Famagusta-Nicosia, 36 miles (58 km)] was inaugurated on 21 October 1905 by High Commissioner, Sir Charles Anthony King-Harman.

The construction of Section 2 [Nicosia-Morphou, 24 miles (39 km)] began in July 1905 and was inaugurated was on 31 March 1907. However, three years later, the Railway was already operating at a loss and so an operation study for the CGR was conducted by Bedford Glasier. The study was published in January 1913 and suggested the construction of the terminus at Evrychou. So, the construction of Section 3 [Morphou-Evrychou, 15 miles (24 km)] began in November 1913 and it was inaugurated on 14 June 1915.