Paphos Marina Tender Launched: 1,000 Berths at Kissonerga

The Deputy Ministry of Tourism has launched the tender for the Paphos marina in the Potima area of Kissonerga, under a long-term DBFOT (design, build, finance, operate, transfer) concession. The tender has been published in the Official Journal of the EU and the Cyprus Gazette, with all procedures run through the national eProcurement platform. It is the most concrete step in years for a project that has faced more than 30 years of setbacks, from legal disputes to cancelled tenders.

What is planned

• Site: about 165,000 m² of state-owned land at Potima, Kissonerga, around 15 minutes from Paphos city centre.
• Marina: capacity for 1,000 recreational vessels, in the water and on land. Earlier plans described 650 sea berths and 350 land-based spaces for maintenance, repairs and storage.
• Mixed-use development: residential and commercial space and hotel facilities, with optional infrastructure for cruise ships.

How the tender works

The process has two phases. First, interested investors submit expressions of interest. Then shortlisted candidates submit detailed bids, leading to a concession agreement covering the design, construction, financing, operation and eventual transfer of the marina. A preliminary consultation with interested companies closed in January 2025.

Timeline

In January, Andreas Demetriades, president of the Cyprus Association of Large Investment Projects, said the winning bidder was expected to be selected by late 2026, with construction completed by 2029. Given the project's history, these dates should be treated as indicative.

What it could mean for Paphos

Demetriades expects the marina to increase the interest of foreign companies in Paphos, whether to build projects or to relocate regional offices to the district. The marina is one of 75 major projects planned for the Paphos region, with a combined budget of more than €230 million. It arrives in a market that is already growing: sale contracts in Paphos rose 11% in the first half of 2025, and the Central Bank of Cyprus recorded the fastest annual price growth of any district there in Q1 2025, at 12.9%. For buyers around Kissonerga and Peyia, the project is a long-term factor whose impact will depend on whether, and when, it is actually delivered.