President Anastasiadis's goal is to revitalize rural areas, said Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Giannis Karousos, adding that the government has budgeted more than € 370 million in development projects by 2024.
"The Government of Nikos Anastasiadis has identified for years the need for strengthening and support of the countryside. "The aim of the President of the Republic is to revitalize the rural areas, so as to create those conditions for attracting young families, investors and entrepreneurs for permanent living and professional activity", said Mr. Karousos in his greeting at the Festival " Re-Experiences "in Dora.
He also pointed out that in order to achieve this goal, in 2019, for the first time since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, the Government adopted the National Strategy for the Development of Mountain Communities, with the aim of providing real and substantial support to mountainous and remote areas. develop tourism, cultural, social and economic.
As he said, an integral part of the development of mountainous areas is the improvement of the infrastructure of the road network and the accessibility and the connectivity of these areas with the urban centers. The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works is preparing in the area of the mountainous District of Limassol the construction of the Limassol-Saitta highway, with a total length of 22,5 km, at an estimated cost of € 198 million. Its design is being promoted in three phases and the works of phase A1 started in September 2020 and are expected to be completed by the end of 2023 and concern, among other things, the construction of a section of highway approximately 3,7 km long, he added.
According to the Minister of Transport, the budgeted amount for the three years 2022-2024 for development projects in rural and mountain communities exceeds € 370 million, an amount increased by € 125 million compared to the three years 2019-2021.
At the same time, as he said, important road network projects that were constant and long-standing requests of the inhabitants of the countryside and the mountainous Communities totaling € 350 million are being implemented for the benefit of the development of these areas.
Regarding the promotion of mountainous areas as tourist destinations, Mr. Karousos said that through the Ministry of Tourism, the Government has included four projects in the "Cyprus_Tomorrow" Program, aimed at developing agritourism and other forms of tourism. and increase traffic to these areas. In this context, with targeted initiatives to highlight local products, services and resources, we strengthen tourism businesses with education and training of staff, fully utilize and upgrade Mountain Sports Centers and other businesses, in order to strengthen the tourism product offered in the highlands and to establish the Rural Communities as year-round destinations for alternative forms of tourism.
In addition, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and the Office of the Commissioner for the Development of Mountain Communities, a specific housing policy has been drawn up, tripling spending to 2022, in order to create prospects for the revitalization of the Cypriot countryside and mountainous areas.
"Despite the economic impact of the health crisis and the war in Ukraine, the government has chosen to support self-reliance in the mountains and the countryside, especially young couples and young families," he said.