Cyprus-Forum.com

[georgios100]

Cuba is just an example for hospitality development, nothing more.
I don't support communist regimes, poverty etc.

For starters, a good place to start is Larnaca. Get rid of all those petroleum tanks, clean up the beaches
and establish a new stretch for development from the tanks all the way to the Dhekelia SBA.
Convince the Brits, if possible, to dismantle their base (move it to Akrotiri) and include the base grounds on a grand scale scheme
for the project. Invite tenders and entertain business plans. Keep the Dhekelia golf course and install a helipad nearby.

The project can spark 1000s of construction jobs along with many more to operate/maintain afterwards.
I don't understand comments relating to waiters, barmen, hotel employees, taxi drivers as "bad" jobs. Tell that to the 1000s of unemployed
Cypriots to pile up in the coming months and years.

Georgios, you need a reality check mate. Your above thesis is ridiculous. Have you any idea how long something like that would take, the infrastructure needed, costs involved etc etc, we'll all be dead and buried by then.

Move the British, yeah, OK, I know its Aprils fools days, but this just takes the biscuit!

Construction jobs, this sort of talk always comes from completely ignorant and uninformed people about Cyprus. I guess your intentions are good, but bloody hell.
We are a population of under 1 million, do you have ANY idea how many people would need to visit such sites to even make them feasible? And who, or what idiot is going to pour in the billions to do this at this stage??

What we need here, today, is a quick start mechanism to keep the wheels turning and developing others areas.

Examples:
1. Reduce interest on loans
2. Extend payback period
3. Reduce duty on fuel
4. Reduce Electricity costs
5. Reduce public sector positions and pay
6. Offer some tax incentives for start ups
7. Garner EU grants, help the local population to apply, many of these grants are almost impossible to apply for, get specialists to help
8. Review / reduce Cyprus High commissions is countries that don't give any real benefit. It can be a short term say 5 years and then rebuild
9. Cut allowances/expenses for MPs. Let them use their own vehicles/drivers
10. Look at retraining courses for those that need to change direction

I am sure there are many more, these will brings immediate benefits and at the same time change our mindset to develop further.

I agree with items 1 to 10.
We are looking for foreign investments/funds to propel this project. The incentive is the land lease to potential investors.
CY provides land and infrastructure, investors fund the rest. It's been done before (Mexico, DR, misc Caribbean islands).
As I stated before, CY has no natural resources! We should take advandage of the best weather conditions in the whole of Europe!

[kurupetos]

I would say for the immediate tackle of unemployment, projects like this would provide enough work
to compensate the job losses from the banking sector and elsewhere. These jobs are mostly construction related,
engineering, architectural, environmental along with low skilled work such as hotel staff and administrators.
Projects like these might head off some of the immigration outflow till the natural gas starts to roll in. The abundance of cheap energy may enable
the government to subsidize/ boost manufacturing and agriculture. At the same time, high level energy jobs kick in to supplement the vacuum created
by the failing banking sector.

But I agree, immigration is the worst aftermath of this crisis. The biggest natural resource of CY is population/labor force.
Combating unemployment is the only way to stop immigration.

We should seriously consider exiting EU, if this is the only way to get rid of all these foreigners.

[Mik]

Define foreigners?

[kurupetos]

Define foreigners?

Non Cypriots, including mainland Greeks, who are not GD members.

[georgios100]

What does EU membership has to do with oceanfront development?
Even if we get out of the EU, still this project has to materialize.

The removal of the petroleum tanks was/is urgent for the city of Larnaca.
Therefor, this oceanfront stretch is suited for hospitality use. I can imagine 20-30 years from now
how this will look... an extension of the phinikoudes. So why wait 30 years to proceed?

[Nikitas]

Concentrating on food production, premium quality foods, for export would be a much wiser choice than buggering about with tourism. The island has reached its max with tourism and the environmental degradation it brings.

One way to increase the value of our properties is to limit the supply, ie demolish excess units and rehabilitate the areas so as to give value to the remainder. Sooner or later this will be done in other countries, and by then it will be too late to imitate their example.

[Oceanside50]

Agriculture is the way to go, with Cyprus' past problem of drought being solved with desalination plants coupled with our new ally, Israel and their agri technology of producing on relatively small plots 2 or 3 times more then what normally could be produced, Cyprus could become a major food producer for the EU.....or East Asia, where Ive heard that a watermelon could cost as high as 35 euros....

As for tourism, there are more then enough hotels and restaurants that are taking up valuable arable land...with dwindling customers..

[georgios100]

While my proposal is to develop the oceanfront Larnaca- Dhekelia some forumers suggest
to work on agriculture, food production etc.

Are you proposing to plant cucumbers and water mellons on oceanfront lands or are you suggesting
to abandon this project for 30 more years because Cypriots will be too busy watering kolokasi and anginares...

CY needs visionaries from now on, not peasants!

[Oceanside50]

ESHI PATISHEEEES!!!! ESHI BOUGATSES!!!!! ESHI ELIOPITES!!!!! ESHI ANGOURKA MITSHA JAI MIALA!!!!! ESHI KOLOGOUDIA!!!!!!

[Paphitis]

Capitalism is the only way to go. It is the only system that works.

Communism is not the solution.

All that is needed is some sensible Socialism and some more regulation to make sure the Banks work within certain guidelines and are held accountable for their actions.

Besides, Greeks invented Capitalism so how can they be wrong?

I think Cyprus already has plenty of tourism and agriculture. The next step is to ramp up some industry and create a solid manufacturing sector. The RoC should also rebuild its Banks to exceed the levels they had previously attained by restoring order and confidence. It will just take time that is all.

Stuff what the ECB wants. Tell them to jam it and shove the Euro after we have made rock solid contingency plans for an orderly and painless withdrawal from that God forsaken currency.

I hope the Euro collapses because that is what they deserve.

I watched an interview of a former US Federal Reserve Governor who was in Greece negotiating the Greek Bail out and he said that the Cypriot Bail In was a massive disaster and botched. He stated that haircuts to depositors is a huge mistake and it will cost Cyprus dearly. He basically felt like Cyprus has been hard done by and also said that the amount needed to bail out Cyprus and its Banks was insignificant in the scheme of things.