Paphos carnival a huge success
 
By Bejay Browne
 
Thousands of people turned out to watch this year’s carnival parade in Paphos, which officials say was a huge success.
The parade took place along Poseidonos Avenue in Kato Paphos, with most participants and visitors describing it as a ‘brilliant’ venue with hopes that it remains there next year.
“It was absolutely fantastic, the atmosphere by the sea had a true carnival spirit and all of the bars, cafes and restaurants were buzzing, my family all really enjoyed it,” a spectator told the Paphos Post.
The parade usually takes place along Grivas Dighenis Avenue which runs through the town, but moved to Kato Paphos this year due to ongoing roadworks.
The parade travelled along Poseidonos Avenue which runs along the seafront, and ended at the parking area close to the archaeological park in Kato Paphos. Paphos mayor, Phedonas Phedons, and mayor of Yeroskipou, Michalis Pavlides, got into the spirit of the celebrations and dressed up for the occasion.
This year’s carnival parade and other events were well organised, and the streets were clean again just a few hours after the celebrations concluded.
 
 
Cyprus tourism already up in 2016
 
By Bejay Browne
 
Tourism arrivals have seen an increase of 23.9% in the first two months of 2016, according to the statistical service Cystat.
The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) has also said that it expects 2016 to be a good year.
Cyprus hosted a record 2.9 million tourists in 2015, partly due to instability in the region, as neighbouring countries such as, Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt suffered terrorist attacks.
Cystat said that arrivals for e period of January and February totalled to 114, 596 compared with 92,508 in the same period last year.
 
The results of a passenger survey found that arrivals in February were at 65,988 compared with 50,709 in 2015, a healthy increase of 30.1%.
Arrivals from Russia leapt from 3,659 last February to 7,358 this year, a massive increase, whilst arrivals from the UK in February increased by 28 %, followed by Greece at 16.6%,
However, there was also a 29.9% drop in visitors from France.
 
 
Rumours of private cemetery in Paphos unfounded

By Bejay Browne
 
The mayor of Paphos has quashed rumours that Paphos municipality is considering building the first private cemetery on the island, saying they are totally unfounded.
 
Media reports incorrectly suggested Acheleia village in Paphos could be home to the first private cemetery on the island, he said.
 
Mayor of Paphos Phedonas Phedonos, said: “This is simply not true and we wouldn’t consider that,” he said. “In fact, we have purchased a plot of 4,000 m2 which is adjacent to the current municipal cemetery in Paphos, and are preparing plans in- house for planning permission.”
 
Overcrowding at the Metropolitan Cemetery-or the ‘old’ cemetery as it is known- is now so dire, that burials were even being crammed into the pathways between graves.
The public cemetery, which was established in 1938, has been facing problems for years with plots being crammed in side by side; some areas are practically inaccessible to mourners as only inches separate graves.
 
Access is impossible for wheel chair users and in parts, it’s extremely difficult to walk between the graves in many areas.
The cemetery has been ‘full’ for a number of years, with problems of overcrowding leading to the creation of ‘temporary’ plots.
 
According to funeral directors, the metropolitan was the only cemetery in Paphos that had temporary plots. This is where a body will remain in a grave for six or seven years, the remains are then removed, put into a pillow slip and named, before being placed in to the mausoleum in the cemetery.
 
Phedonos said that overcrowding has reached huge proportions and that solving this issue had been a priority.
The mayor said that he hopes that current work on plans for the facility will allow the site to be open for its first burials in April.
 
 
Paphos hosts second part of twinning with Greater Amman

By Bejay Browne
 
A delegation from Jordan travelled to Paphos for the second part of the town’s twinning with Greater Amman.
The second phase of the twinning ceremony took place at Paphos Town Hall, according to a spokesman for the municipality.
“The Jordanian delegation visited Paphos for this purpose, led by the mayor of Amman Aqel Biltaji, and other officials. A large delegation of the chamber of commerce of Amman and the bar association of Jordan were also present,” he said.
The visitors first met with the Paphos mayor, Phedonas Phedonos at the town hall, before visiting a number of construction projects in the town.
Fawwaz Al-Eitan, the Ambassador of Jordan in Greece and Cyprus, also gave a lecture at Neapolis University in Paphos entitled: ‘Relations between Jordan and Cyprus.’
The official signing ceremony took place at Paphos town hall and was open to the public.
 
In November, President Nicos Anastasiades visited the headquarters of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) to sign the twinning agreement. He was accompanied by Paphos mayor Phedonas Phedonos, and said his aim is to build a solid foundation for Jordanian-Cypriot relations encompassing, economy, tourism and culture, and to promote mutual respect between the residents of both countries.
 
 
Tributes paid to local journalist

By Bejay Browne
 
Tributes poured in for well-known Paphos journalist Athos (Arthur) Tilley who died in hospital in Finland after a short illness, aged 58 and who has been buried in Kouklia.
Paphos Mayor Phedonas Phedonos, described Arthur as a ‘good and selfless friend’. Other politicians, officials and public figures, along with the public and friends of the journalist, took to social media to express their grief.
The journalists’ body was flown back to Cyprus from Lahti in Finland, where he had lived and worked for the last five years. His funeral was well attended and held at Panagia Pantanassa church in Paphos. Burial was at Kouklia cemetery.
Arthur was a larger than life vivacious character, who was loved and respected by many. He was a well-known face and voice in Cyprus, working in both radio and television as well as print media for a number of years.
Born on March 8, 1958, Arthur studied journalism at a private school in Athens.
His professional career got underway in 1990 with a stint at Radio Kinyras in Paphos, where he initially worked as a music producer.
He then moved into journalism and worked at a number of local stations, including Radio Paphos.
Arthur also worked on local TV channel Paphos TV, as an editor and news presenter. He was also the Paphos correspondent for the Cyprus News Agency and Sigma TV.
He spoke both Greek and English fluently, and was a huge fan of rock music.