Paphos is awaiting the long-anticipated green light for its Marina project, with local stakeholders hoping for clarity by early 2026.
The district is currently awaiting the results of the tender announced by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism on 17 September, calling for expressions of interest and bids for the construction of the Paphos Marina at the Potima site in Kissonerga.
Across the district, there is both optimism and expectation that the tender process will be completed in the early months of the new year, allowing this flagship development to move smoothly towards implementation.
Local authorities and business groups are keen to see the project progress without once again becoming entangled in prolonged legal procedures, as has happened repeatedly over past decades.
The Paphos Marina is considered a project of strategic importance for the district’s long-term tourism, economic and commercial growth. There is widespread hope that the repeated re-launching of the tender process over the years will, this time, lead to a definitive outcome.
Paphos marina tender
According to the tender specifications, the project includes a large-scale marine development featuring a marina with capacity for up to 1,000 leisure vessels. This capacity will be distributed between sea and land zones, with 70–80% of berths allocated to wet mooring and the remainder to dry docking facilities.
In addition to the marina itself, the tender allows for residential and commercial development, potentially including hotel infrastructure as well as facilities capable of accommodating cruise ships. This mixed-use approach is expected to enhance the area’s attractiveness to both investors and international visitors.
For the purposes of the project, the Government opted for a two-phase open tender process. The current phase concerns expressions of interest, to be followed by a second phase inviting shortlisted parties to submit binding offers.
Landmark development
The Paphos Marina was also highlighted by President Nikos Christodoulides during a recent presentation of major government-backed projects planned for the district. He described the marina tender as a landmark development that is expected to elevate Paphos into a leading maritime and tourism destination in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Covering a total area of approximately 165,000 square metres and accommodating up to 1,000 leisure vessels, the development is expected to provide a significant boost to the local economy, create new employment opportunities and substantially upgrade the overall tourism offering of the Paphos district.
The troubled history of the long-awaited Paphos Marina
Since an initial study was carried out more than 30 years ago, the Paphos Marina project has been stalled by legal battles and mired in bureaucracy.
1990s–2006 — concept & early planning
The idea of a marina for Paphos appears in long-term coastal development planning and feasibility studies through the late 1990s and 2000s as Paphos developed as a tourism hub.
2007–2008 — first high-profile tender and award
A major government tender was run. In 2007–2008 the Cybarco-Pandora consortium (including Leptos Group in reporting) was initially announced the winner of the concession/tender for the Paphos marina. Litigation followed almost immediately as the other bidders objected and appealed the award.
2008–2015 — litigation, counter-awards and re-examinations
The 2008 award triggered multiple legal challenges and reviews. Different bidders (notably Poseidon Grand Marina and Pafilia) lodged appeals and objections; the administration re-examined financing evidence and committee procedures. These years saw annulments and re-assessments rather than construction.
December 2015 — Supreme Court milestone
In late 2015 the Supreme Court issued a pivotal decision favouring the Poseidon consortium in aspects of the dispute (reporting indicates the court found procedural problems with the administration/committee handling of earlier stages), which reshuffled the legal status of the tender. (The ruling did not immediately produce a stable concession because subsequent steps required proof of funds and committee re-assessments.)
2016–2018 — committee rulings, new award and withdrawals
Following court rulings, the management/steering committee attempted to move ahead. At different moments Pafilia was invited/approved as the next concessionaire, and a new committee signed an agreement in 2018 — but Pafilia then withdrew from the process (citing the uncertain legal and commercial environment). Meanwhile Poseidon and others continued legal actions asserting procedural irregularities.
2019–2021 — continuing delays and fresh objections
Even after new committee actions, interested parties kept raising formal objections to tender steps (complaints brought to tender review authorities and interim orders). That kept the project on hold and prevented contract signature/works starting. Reporting in 2021 flagged another objection that again froze progress.
2022–2023 — renewed government work and feasibility / tender preparations
The government and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism repeatedly restarted preparatory work: updated feasibility studies, revised tender documents, and public statements that the ministry would re-launch an improved, legally robust procurement process designed to avoid the errors of the past. Coverage in this period described a “new hope” and active preparation for a fresh investor call.
January 2025 — publication of basic characteristics / call for proposals (Phase 1 input)
In January 2025 the Deputy Ministry published the basic characteristics of the project and invited interested parties to submit proposals/expressions of interest under those characteristics (reports cited a submission window that closed in late January 2025). This marked a concrete administrative step toward a two-phase procurement (expression of interest and invitation to tender).
August 2025 — ministry preparing investor call / tender documents
By August 2025 reporting noted the Deputy Ministry was finalising the investor-interest call and legal checks, with stakeholders saying the formal call for investors / opening of tender documents was expected in late August / early September 2025. Officials signalled an intention to run a more rigorous tender process and to address financing, environmental and archaeological constraints up front.
September 2025 – ministry launches tender process
The Deputy Ministry of Tourism has launched the tender process for the development of the Paphos Marina project.
