The project has been under consideration since as far back as 2009 when the Greek-language newspaper Politis revealed plans to build a Disneyland-style tourist theme park near Pyla on 80 hectares of land (800,000m2).
The site subsequently shifted to Oroklini, near Larnaca, but two years ago plans stalled as discussions continued between the Government, Russian investors and land owners in the area to see how the land would be used.
Five years later the permission, enclosed within a policy document published on 3rd March 2014, finally approves the development of a multi-thematic leisure park and includes the construction of a touristic village, a five star hotel set in 500,000m2 of land plus a wide range of other entertainment opportunities.
At an estimated cost of €800 million, the project is planned to occupy an area of nearly 1,000 donums (approximately 135 hectares) and will include a waterpark, a luxury hotel and many restaurants. It is expected to also include a variety of commercial and recreational or entertainment facilities related to the theme of the Park.
The park will operate under a single management and will have a uniform structure and organisation. It will be developed in close co-operation with the Cyprus Tourist Organisation (CTO) and could be combined with high-class tourist accommodation (hotels of three, four or five-star quality).
We asked a couple of local business owners based in the Oroklini area what they thought of the project and the impact it might have. Guy, the owner of a local car cleaning business, said that “any boost to the local economy through tourism was bound to have a positive knock on benefit to other businesses not necessarily directly connected to the theme park and growth at a local level could only be a good thing.”
When asked the same question, Jane, the owner of a local Internet Marketing business said that “this could not have come at a more crucial time for the Cyprus economy as it struggles to recover from the fall-out of the recent Bank crisis. Cyprus has always relied on its income from the travel sector and this new theme park should generate much needed revenue from tourism. It should also generate new opportunities for existing local businesses to not only contribute to the success of the theme park but at the same time increase exposure and growth potential in their own business sector. Let’s hope it’s a win win situation for Cyprus as a whole.”–