It is welcome news that Larnaca will gain some new hotels next year as the region truly is in a strange position of being a popular coastal town with few 'real' hotels.
There are plenty of hotel apartments, and even more privately rented holiday apartments in blocks with communal swimming pools, but not many high-star options. To make matters worse, the nicest hotels we do have are located on a strip that has been in decline and is marred by the ugly blot of refineries. That the region's one and only 5-star hotel should be located in such an area beggars belief, especially when other areas of the town are so picturesque and popular in comparison.
But as positive as the news of five additional hotels is, once again, it feels as though we are walking on the spot. As soon as one positive emerges, we take two steps back in other areas. At the time of writing, I could not give you any clue on what is happening with our contentious port/marina. The battle between tourist hub and industrial beast rages on and I for one am none the wiser on which side is winning, although by the time this goes to press, the matter may have been made clearer.
Personally, I believe that the Larnaka Tourism Board, the Mayor and Municipal Council are doing a tremendous job in upgrading the town, something they do not receive half as much credit as they should for. They are forging ahead in very positive directions; promoting the region for international sporting events, sprucing it up, creating a network of cycle and walking paths, actively supporting those who want to invest in the region and helping to promote any initiatives, start-ups and businesses that are offering something beneficial to the town and its tourism. They work tirelessly and sometimes, against all odds.
You see, Larnaca simply cannot shake off its label of 'poor cousin' to other towns on the island. For too long we have been maligned and overlooked – even looked down on with distain by some of the powers-that-be, and it is they who ultimately make the final decisions and hold the purse strings. I don't know why this is as I am too young to have known the Larnaca of old and its relationship with the other areas of the island, but it has always been this way.
It could be because the region was thrust into the tourism industry rather abruptly following the Turkish invasion of 1974 when it was hastily given the island's international airport after Nicosia's became a casualty of the war. And a large percentage of its hotels were equally hastily erected after parts of Famagusta – the then holiday top spot of the island – were also wounded and taken as prisoners of war.
It may be because of this 'borrowed' tourism that the town has never really been taken seriously, but the region is now – in my opinion – standing head and shoulders above other areas of the island and is probably the only one that does not reek of tacky tourism and areas created solely for visitors to the detriment of its character and authenticity. Maybe it is time for the powers-that-be to open their eyes to Larnaca and its possibilities, but even if they can't, at least we still have passionate, hard-working and determined parties on our side.
First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly, 09/08/14
