Since 1974 there have been many major changes to our island. For more than 40 years nautical tourism in Cyprus has practically not existed because of the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the restrictions in coastal travel off of Southern Cyprus. Because of the problems, access to the Turkish coast is also forbidden even though Turkey is the closest country to Cyprus.

Greek Cypriots and all vessels leaving Cypriot marinas and ports under the Cypriot flag have two main options: either to travel along the coastline from Paralimni to Pafos and back or to make a long journey either to Beirut (110 nautical miles) or to Kastelorizo, a Greek island near Rodos (270 nautical miles). Either way, the trip has to be well organised because there is only one way to reach your destination. The weather forecast, fuel and any services required have to be considered and worked out in advance. Boat owners can't even make a short trip without having to worry about these issues so this has forced most of them to take their boats on small cruises either for fishing or to spend a few hours in a bay in Protaras, Limassol or Pafos.

During the last few weeks, the Cyprus Problem has been high on the agenda of many countries and their state departments because a possible solution will generate many economic  opportunities for them via nautical tourism in Cyprus. 

Boat owners will have the opportunity to travel around the island by sea and enjoy nautical camping in their boats. Starting from Larnaka or Limassol, allowing for weather conditions, a boat can sail around the island with many possible stops at ports, marinas and natural shelters. Larnaka, Paralimni, Famagusta, Karpasia, Pirgos, Latsi, Pafos, Pissouri, Episkopi, Limassol and back to Larnaka is a trip that can last for several days. For those who wish to travel beyond Cyprus, the distance from Kerinia to Turkey is only 50 nautical miles. With a power boat at normal cruising speed it is just a couple of hours away and even with a sailing boat a trip to Turkey and back can be done in a day. When you reach Turkey you will have the opportunity to safely travel along her coast to the Aegean sea and from there you have as many options as you would have at the Greek islands.     

These are only the advantages for the Greek Cypriot vessel owners. A solution to our national problem would create many opportunities for tourism and, therefore, the economy of Cyprus. Imagine how many vessels in the Mediterranean region would love to sail to our island and enjoy our long summers and warm crystal clear waters. Imagine how Cyprus would once again be an important naval station among the three continents Asia, Africa and Europe. 

Though, to be frank, at the moment Cyprus is not ready to welcome this potential evolution in the yachting industry because of poor infrastructure. Limassol is now proud to host our first super yacht marina. St Raphael Marina, Larnaka Marina and the small fishing shelters around the island are almost 100% full and so are not able to host or offer quality services to visiting yachts at the moment. There is also the modern Karpaz Bay Marina at Karpasia and the small port of Kerynia in the northern part of Cyprus.

The number and size of available marinas and ports is not enough to enable Cyprus to be an important nautical station. We have our hearts set on up-and-coming plans for the development of Marinas at Larnaka, Agia Napa and Pafos but everything has been frozen for the last two years because of the extreme economic problems that the Cypriot economy is facing. Everybody is talking about a kickstart for the Cypriot economy and then the expected new era for Cyprus will  begin.

It is not us that need to realise, but the decision makers that need to understand that the much-needed boost to our economy can be achieved by utilising the crystal clear waters that surround us that for many centuries has brought millions of visitors and investors to our beautiful island.