Tourist arrivals in Cyprus are increasing year by year, said today Deputy Minister of Tourism Costas Koumis, noting that it is positive that the cities on our island are competing with each other, since this competition will be beneficial for Cyprus.

Addressing an event for the presentation of the "Larnaka Land of Tomorrow" architectural approach, Koumis said that "Larnaca is a city that is trying to climb even higher in terms of tourism and in order to achieve this, even more projects must come to the city".

This particular project, he added, "is quite significant but the most important thing is that it moves in the context of sustainable development which is of great interest to us and it is a message that must continue to spread everywhere in Cyprus."

Koumis referred to both the tourism season extension in Cyprus and its spatial expansion, which "will be achieved through projects such as the one presented today by the Lefkaritis Group", adding that "arrivals in Cyprus are increasing year by year, we had a huge increase in 2014 - 2018 and in order for more tourists to continue to arrive on our island we need new and remarkable tourist areas".

The Deputy Minister also said that "we share the vision of the Lefkaritis Group to make Larnaca perhaps the best city in Cyprus. We like to see cities competing with each other because at the end of the day we will have a much better Cyprus and we want to see destinations competing with each other." 

Environment Commissioner Maria Panayiotou also expressed her satisfaction with the presentation of the project and said that "it is an optimistic and feasible project, which includes the natural extension of Larnaca, inspired by the beauty and biodiversity of Cyprus."

But what satisfies our office, she added, "is that it contributes to the transformation of Larnaca into a Green City and is a project that is fully compatible with the terms of Green Growth and Sustainable Mobility."

Mayor of Larnaca Andreas Vyras also expressed his satisfaction for the implementation of the project, adding that "the Land of Tomorrow is fully in line with the Municipality's vision for the development of the city."

Addressing the event Chairman of the Board of the Lefkaritis Group Costakis Lefkaritis spoke of a vision and ambition to create a project that will respect the environment, the people and the city of Larnaca.   CEO Dinos Lefkaritis said that the project would become a landmark for Larnaca and Cyprus attracting young people and businesses.

Ben Scott, Senior Partner of Foster + Partners, who presented the project, explained that "the main inspiration for creating the Land of Tomorrow vision was the rich history of the city and the key elements that define it. Our ambition for the Land of Tomorrow masterplan is to create a landmark development that is an extension of the city by preserving and enhancing its most important features."