Fishermen in Zygi and the wider areas of Larnaca and Limassol have a safe base to dock their boasts, following the opening of the Zygi fishing shelter in May.

The euro15m shelter, with docking space for 220 boasts, also includes facilities such  as pavements, breakwaters, piers, vessel launching and hauling areas and parking lots. Co-funded by the European  Fisheries Fund, the shelter is expected to become the centre of many community activities, thus giving local and foreign tourism a much needed boost.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, President Demetris Christofias said the shelter, with its modern facilities, was a step towards improving living conditions for local fishermen and generating additional income for the fishing industry.

‘the fishing industry is a relatively small sector of the economy but provides significant social benefits and contributes substantively to the socioeconomic development of the costal areas’

The Zygi fishing shelter is the single biggest infrastructure constructed for the Cyprus fishing industry.

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The new three-lane Limassol to Nicosia  motorway system opened in November and has been hailed as  successful in meeting its main aim of easing traffic congestion.

The additional lane which is featured on both stretches of road leading into and out of Nicosia accommodates around 63,000 vehicles daily or 4,000 vehicles per hour.

In the past, the specific stretch of motorway experienced some of the island’s heaviest traffic jams as motorists driving into the island’s capital would frequently bottle-neck within several kilometres of Nicosia. The main artery leading into Nicosia was also reconstructed with the creation of a roundabout near Lastsia. The entire construction project, which took around two  year to be completed cost an estimated euro33m. Speaking during the inauguration ceremony President Demetris Christofias said the creation of modern and safer  highways was a priority for the government as private cars remain   the main mode of transport on the island.

However, while the new motorway offers a lot in terms of road safety,  traffic police are still pleading with motorists to get updated on how to use the three-lane system. Following its launch, police began a media campaign in which they provided the public with announcements on how to use the motorway as well as providing television channels with short films on how to safely drive on the three-lane system.

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All are welcome to the Epiphany or Theofania celebrations in Paphos and Peyia next week.

The religious celebration, also known as the Feast of Light or Fota, takes place on Friday January 6.

Symbolising the purification of mankind , the event starts with a special mass and is followed by a parade of religious figures, members of the National Guard  and school bands.

The focal point of the  festival is when young men dive to retrieve the  cross which is cast into the seaside water by the local church primate. To catch the cross in an honour. It ıs then passed around to other swimmers so that they oan kiss it for a blessing. Throngs of onlookers traditionally watch the ceremony from the harbour side.

In Paphos , the parade will start at Theoskepasti Church and travel along Poseidonos Avenue through the harbour thoroughfare to the quayside for the cross throwing ceremony.

In Peyia, the ceremony will take place in Ayios Giorgos harbour. Both events will start at about 10.30am.

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The online presence of the Paphos tourism product was strengthened this year with the expansion of a dedicated website (www.visit-pafos.org.cy) which attracted a rise in visitors. According to site statistics  gathered by the Paphos  Tourism Board  ovewr a period of eleven months (January-November 2011) the site received more than 320,000 unique visitors with the average user looking at five pages and spending about 3,5 minutes navigating the site. The main countries, Holland, Greece, France,  Switzerland, Norway,  Spain, Russia, and Cyprus. The days with the highest volume of visitors were Monday, Friday Saturday, and Sunday.

The most popular pages were those which featured archaeological monuments, culture, beaches, nature, activities and recreation and accommodation.

Currently the site available in Greek, English and Russian .the tourism board is in the final stage of the upgrade which will see the addition of the German language. The board also plans to add languages of other target countries.

In addition to an upgrade cultural calendar and new images and text, next year the site will expand into social media.

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