On a recent visit to Paphos, there were
several signs that the economic situation is slowly turning around.
1.
The Pafos 2017 European Capital of Culture
is creating significant interest. Booking allocations for 2017 are already
being negotiated with foreign tour operators as well as event organisers.
Moreover, Pafos Municipality has launched an ambitious renovation programme in
the Harbour and City of Paphos, including 28th October Square and
Tomb of the Kings Avenue.
2.
Paphos is becoming known as a
golf destination. Four major golf resorts—Aphrodite Hills, Minthis Hills, Elea
Estate and Secret Valley—have all seen record golf rounds played in 2015. The
Cyprus Tourism Organisation and the Pafos Regional Tourism Committee are
heavily promoting Cyprus as a golf destination.
3.
Incoming tourism arrivals to
Cyprus and Paphos are growing. Arrivals grew by 9% in 2015, to 2.659 million,
while revenue grew to nearly € 2.2 billion. Arrivals are expected to grow still
further in 2016, based on early block bookings from European tour operators.
4.
The use of villa rentals as a
substitute for hotel accommodation is growing. AirBNB and Booking.com are both
heavily promoting villa and apartment rentals in Paphos, and the available
stock of rental properties on both websites is increasing.
5.
Paphos International Airport is
seeing a surge in passenger traffic. Total passenger traffic rose from 2.097
million in 2014 to 2.278 million in 2015. A growing number of carriers are
flying into Pafos International Airport, including Ryanair, Easyjet, Nikki,
Germania, Air Jordan, Finnair, Arkia, TUI, Thomas Cook and Thomson Airways.
6.
Banks have resumed mortgage
lending for Cyprus residents.
7.
Foreign investors are buying
Cyprus properties in Pafos for the investor citizenship and residency
programmes.
These factors are combining to create an
interesting set of signals for property investors and owners. Together with the
stock of distressed or unfinished properties, there are significant commercial
opportunities available in Paphos.
I was also recently interviewed by a great
new destination portal, www.pafoscity.com.
Check the video interview here.
(c) Philip Ammerman, 2016
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