Once upon a time, a popular neighborhood existed that was an oasis in the then semi-abandoned Nicosia within the walls. However, the countdown started and we have now reached the current point where most shops are closed, and the 1-2 shopkeepers who remain are lamenting their fate or cursing those who did not take measures to reverse the current situation.
Many may remember how once upon a time, the restaurants in this area were always busy and it was tough to get a table when you tried to make a reservation. Apart from the locals, Nicosia’s Laiki Geitonia also attracted tourists for food and general entertainment, as well as foreign delegations that were in the capital on various missions. At the same time, the various shops selling souvenirs or other items welcomed tourists and locals who came down to the walled city of Nicosia.
Today, of the 30 or so shops that existed, only two are operating and the Laiki Geitonia, despite the hundreds of thousands of euros worth of work that has been carried out, is deserted. It has become a neighborhood without neighbors…
The owners of the two shops that still operate in the area said that there is also uncertainty as to what will happen to the management of the 30 or so shops that are closed, as it has been heard at times that the Deputy Ministry of Tourism will take over their management, instead of the Nicosia Municipality or even an investor with the aim of developing them.
We went to the Mayor of Nicosia, Mr. Konstantinos Yiorkatzis, and asked him what the Municipality intends to do to reverse the current situation.
According to Mr. Yiorkatzis, for some time now and after a number of meetings with the shopkeepers of the Nicosia Municipality’s Laiki Geitoneia, the Municipality’s department has moved forward with decisions and actions that aim to help revitalize it.
The effort of the Municipality, according to the Mayor, is to implement a modern model of operation/management of the area with a variety of uses, in order to enhance the visitor traffic in the area and add new and more attractive uses, since the existing model is considered obsolete.
