The improvement of the existing Airport-Paphos road and an alternative routing are being considered, said George Mais, President of the Paphos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), in a statement to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).

Mr. Mais mentioned that they had a meeting with experts hired by PCCI for studies with the Department of Environment regarding the Airport-Paphos road, during which views were exchanged.

He added that the discussion also covered the alternative routing and the improvement of the existing road to Paphos Airport, where some practical and legal issues seem to exist.

He pointed out that the Department of Environment has committed to visit Paphos as soon as possible to walk the existing route, assess the impacts of improving this road, and reconsider its stance.

Mr. Mais noted that the latest update from the Minister of Transport, Communications, and Works, Alexis Vafeadis, regarding the Paphos-Polis road is that the contractor has submitted some proposals regarding the suitability of materials.

These proposals have been examined and theoretically could be accepted, but Public Works has requested examples of applications where these methods were used and what the results were.

Following this, Mr. Mais mentioned, the contractor was tasked with providing these details.

Regarding the Paphos Marina in Potima, Mr. Mais noted that consultants from the Ministry of Tourism have been hired, and according to their contract, they were supposed to have prepared certain things by September 12. These have been completed, and within the next two weeks, the Ministry is expected to start consultations with various stakeholders and interested parties.

The President of PCCI mentioned that in a phone call with the Minister of Tourism, who is abroad, he was told that once he returns to Cyprus, at the beginning of next week, they will communicate again to exchange views regarding the terms that were negative in attracting investors in the previous tender, as well as terms that were not of significant importance but had complicated the process.

Mr. Mais estimated that these terms are not expected to be ready any sooner than early 2025, and noted that the preparation of the tender is expected to be completed by July 2025.

Regarding the road from the Tombs of the Kings to Peyia, Mr. Mais noted that the tender for its study has been awarded. However, what concerns them, he said, is the timeline for completing the study, which is 32 months. He further mentioned that the explanation given by the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Works is that many services are involved, which is why this time frame has been allocated.

He also added that PCCI has made a suggestion, which is accepted by both the consultant and the Ministry, to coordinate all these departments so that some studies can run in parallel to reduce the time required.