by miltiades » Tue Jan 05, 2010 7:14 am
My prediction is not , I'm afraid , very encouraging.
Judjing by the number of shops that I have noticed closed and for sale both in Paphos and Limassol I believe that the economic downturn will effect Cyprus this year.
Cyprus Mail a couple of days back reported on the plight of Paphos shop keepers in the Market . I'm not surprised having taken a stroll and looked at the prices charged , Jacket Potatoes selling , or rather on offer at 4.50 Euros , cheap nasty looking key rings stubbornly remaining on the stand offered at 3.50 euros , that's Stg 3.40 !!
Prices have gone through the roof . In Limassol , a certain steak house , my self and my brother paid 93 euros , that's stg 90.00 for two steaks , vegetables , a bottle of Cypriot wine and a bottle of water !!. The place was empty , just the two of us and a party of four that more than likely were family members.
The hike in prices is unprecedented for Cyprus , we rely on tourism to sustain a healthy economy , tourism is under threat by our neglect in offering value for money and being competitive with other European tourist destinations.
Shop prices , meat prices and especially bread prices which incidentally are almost 3 times as much as prices in the UK for the same thing.
Locally in London I buy my Cypriot bread for 75 pence , my koullouri bread for 50 p !! Before some plonker , I have a couple in mind , tells me to bring my own bread next time , let me say that prices have nothing whatsoever to do with ones financial situation , it has to do with comparison with prices paid back in the UK from where most of our tourists come from.
Do we need tourists , I bet we do, so to summarise I see empty hotels , empty restaurants and unemployment rising.
are you comming to visit me today. I will bribe the guard so we can spend some quality time together. 
