Ayia Napa boozing will never be the same again after coronavirus as officials announce massive crackdown on partying
THE party resort of Ayia Napa may never be the same again as Cypriot authorities have pushed a clean-up campaign following a year of bad publicity.
The town is well-known for booze-fuelled fun and rowdy tourist but its party days could now be over thanks to the new Government's plan to clean up its act.
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Officials are poised to push ahead with plans for what some are calling a 'good behaviour' campaign with a crackdown on the consumption of alcohol in public, prohibiting laughing gas, widely sold in the resort, and stepping up policing.
Ayia Napa has long been associated with young Brits, off on their first boozy holiday with pals, without the watchful eyes of their parents.
It's reputation as a party hot-spot began in the nineties, filled with famous artists and celebs, with boat, foam and pool parties taking off - all that could now become a thing of the past.
Speaking exclusively to Sun Online, the island’s tourism minister Savvas Perdios said: "The intention is to draft new laws that will make Cyprus a quieter destination and make sure people are behaving properly in the streets, when it comes to having a drink, going out, respecting their surroundings etc.”
The clean-up drive had only been put on hold because of coronavirus, but once in effect drinking any alcohol in public - be it on streets, sidewalks, public squares or hotel swimming pools - will be off-limits.
They will also look to push a ban on substances such as laughing gas and CCTV will be installed in a bid to deter unwanted behaviour.
It comes as the island hopes to attract a more exclusive clientele, building marinas and luxury resorts with hopes that it could become the new Monaco.
It gets even worse for Brits as Cyrpus also announced that it will blacklist the UK over its poor coronavirus record.
As part of its two-stage reopening, the country will allow flights from places such as Greece, Denmark and Germany in stage one.
Stage two will see flights from destinations such as Poland, Switzerland and Croatia, but Britain failed to make the cut.
CLEAN-UP ACT
After a year of bad publicity around Ayia Napa’s unravelling sun, sand and sex image, officials have vowed to clean up the town, hit by rising crime and a serious of high-profile rape cases.
Back in July last year, a 19-year-old Derbyshire student made headlines after claiming she had been gang-raped by 12 Israelis in a seedy hotel in the resort.
After a six-month court battle the teen was handed a suspended sentence for public mischief after Cypriot cops said she had lied about the ordeal and changed her statement - a claim she strongly denies, claiming she had been coerced by cops.
Just last week, a 32-year-old man was also found guilty of seperate attack on another young Brit, after offering her a lift home from her job as a waitress, just three weeks previous to the suspected gang rape.
The court heard how he pulled out a bag of cannabis as they were driving and stopped twice to buy balloons to fill with laughing gas.
The man stopped the car near the town of Sotira, where the young woman was raped in a dark and remote location, despite her cries as she pleaded with him to take her home.
The island has also seen many tragedies over the year, one of those being the death of a young British footballer back in 2014, who drowned during a pool party at a hotel.
The hotel owner was later jailed after it was found that the poolside bar was serving late-night drinks with lifeguard on duty at the time.
The streets of Ayia Napa have also seen a wave of organised crime in the last 12-months, as gangs targetted drunk tourists on stag and hen weekends.
BAN ON LAUGHING GAS
Two weeks ago the tourism minster threw his weight behind the health ministry efforts to ban laughing gas in the holiday hot spot, long blamed for outrageous behaviour.
The sale of the substance, known to produce a high when inhaled, is widespread in Cyprus’ popular coastal areas with police arresting those selling it for recreational use.
The tourism minister said it posed 'serious risks to public health'.
Plans are also in place to install a new CCTV system across the town to prevent and punish loutish and 'illegal behaviour' too.
Cyprus says it wants Ayia Napa, which also attracts older people out of season, to become the new Monaco.
To draw the rich and famous it has launched a massive building drive that has included amulti-million-pound marinas and upscale resorts.
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This the second time officials have pushed to put a ban in place, after it said would discourage 'low-quality youths' from partying on the island.
It comes as the island hopes to reopen to Brits as early as June, when it hopes to lift travel restrictions following the coronavirus pandemic.
Close to one million Brits flew out to the Mediterranean hotspot last year with most heading to its coastal resorts.
