The island of Cyprus covers an area of 9, square kilometers of which 3, square kilometers belong to Northern Cyprus with a population of , inhabitants Northern Cyprus, see Figure 2. In the aftermath of the partition of the island, for nearly four decades, every effort to unify the Island has failed.

Despite all the odds i. The tourism sector employed 8, persons in tourism establishments i. The ratio of net tourism income to the trade balance stood at The average length of stay recorded as 2. As a destination, the TRNC suffers from a low occupancy rate; for it recorded a Figure 2. Map of Cyprus with demarcation line. To the same decree, another amendment was added under the same title i.

However, it was not until the s — coinciding with the consolidation of the partition of the island — when further amendments were added to the same law i. Nonetheless, it was not until the s in which a new chapter began to appear in the coffer of gambling industry in the TRNC, as the political landscape took a sharp turn against gambling and casinos in Turkey in Presently, 25 casinos are in operation in North Cyprus, a high concentration for such a small territory as northern Cyprus Scott et al.

However, as the general election was scheduled to be held in April , which coincided with the issuance of new licenses for new casinos, a heated debate began to appear in the local newspapers, namely Kibris Gazetesi and Afrika i. Such polarized public opinion is not new Scott et al. Some called it a big scandal by the government for issuing new licenses to tourism establishments with attached casinos as their main operation Kibris Gazetesi, a, p.

They were criticizing the government for providing tax breaks to these establishments. In another issue of Kibris Gazetaesi c, p. The reaction to the new laws was expressed by asking the government to withdraw the policy of expanding casino gambling Kibris Gazetesi, b, p. Afrika, the second highly read daily, metaphorically referred to Karpaz i. Insofar as numbers are concerned, with the new proposed casino projects in various parts of the country including Karpaz wilderness and Kantara Park, the total of casinos in the TRNC will reach 33 Kibris Gazetesi, b, p.

The proposal to revise the law generated uproar in the media as it coincided with issuing of new licenses to the newly proposed casinos. It was stressed by the head of the committee during the interview that the EU had commissioned a group of 6 to visit the TRNC and evaluate the laws regarding the casino gambling activities, especially in relation to black money i.

Furthermore, the EU commission had made three recommendations. First, every person who is involved in gambling, in any of the casinos, should be registered in order to facilitate monitoring the gambling affairs of the gamblers by the authorities. In parallel with casino gambling, the proliferation of the sex industry in North Cyprus has raised a few eyebrows within the community who attribute the magnitude of this activity to the proliferation of casinos.

The main patrons of these outlets i. It is a paradox that prostitution has not been legalized in North Cyprus; however, nightclubs and pubs are establishments licensed to serve alcohol and employ the services of women termed konsomatrices. As defined by the law, these are women who eat and drink with clients at a nightclub and make an income out of this practice.

Although it is illegal for konsomatrices to practice prostitution, they do routinely engage in sex acts for money, both on the nightclub premises and outside. This reality is well understood by both legislators and police in North Cyprus Lisaniler et al. The city is located on the north coast with a pleasant climate, historical landmarks, picturesque topography, harbor, and signficant overall accessibility, which makes it highly attractive within the whole island Gunce, see Figure 2.

Out of 25 casinos, 17 are located in and around the city of Kyrenia. The recent growth of casino gambling establishments is striking, increasing from 17 in to 25 in , all of which are attached to or located in hotels and other tourist accommodations. This expansion reflects the growing popularity of an activity that has remained controversial for over years. During the time of this study, 6 more applications have been filed through the authorities and have been given licenses to open up new casinos MET, ; Kibris Gazetesi, c, p.

A pilot questionnaire was employed to ensure that the research instrument as a whole functioned and operated well. Finally, the questionnaire was comprised of three sections. The third section of the instrument consisted of demographic data which included, gender, age, education, and the length of residency in the city of Kyrenia. More than questionnaires were distributed by different informants who were natives of Kyrenia, university graduates, and proficient in the Turkish language.

In doing so, the weaknesses inherent in this non-probability sampling method were ameliorated. Altogether, completed questionnaires were collected and used for the purpose of data analysis. This study used non-probability sampling which is essentially an umbrella term to capture all forms of sampling e. In order to properly address the research questions of interest and to obtain the most representative sample possible, it was decided to distribute questionnaires to the residents from the Kyrenia district.

The survey was to be representative of both females and males; people of various age groups with the majority between 18 and 40 years old ; people from different income groups; people with different qualifications; and people living in suburban and urban areas. This was to ensure that the sample was representative of the population which is homogeneous with respect to characteristic highly shared widely in islands and microstates Anckar, Ninety percent of the respondents were long-term residents in the community.

The distribution of the questionnaires to the respondents was also methodical, as it was highly decentralized to allow for spatial variations. This prevented the survey from clustering in one spatial area e. Identified respondents throughout the town were given the questionnaire on a cross-sectional basis for spatial variations of residents in an attempt to assess their perceptions about the presence of casino gambling in their community by addressing various social, cultural, environmental, and economical issues or concerns.

The demographic profile of the respondents consisted of The majority The age group of 55 and above represented only 4. The age group of captured Most respondents had lived in Kyrenia for at least 5 years, and The educational profile of respondents comprised of university-level education The extent of community attachment was high among respondents, as all owned properties in the Kyrenia district.

The result of the analysis revealed that residents did not have a considerable positive view of casino gambling in their community. In fact, there is a strong sentiment among the public in North Cyprus who believe that major hotels are always reserved for the gamblers, which reduces the availability of hotel accommodation for non-gamblers. Table 3. Casino gambling should 77 Casinos should be 93 Casino gambling is the 81 Casino gambling should 96 Locals gamble because 82 I am aware of 80 It is highly essential to Casino gambling is an 77 Casinos are an 97 This is congruent with the fact that rapid urbanization of the city of Kyrenia has been seen over the last five years, caused by second home development, especially by the British market.

Furthermore, the situation was exacerbated by the lack of city planning, which is a critical public sectors problem in North Cyprus. The city of Kyrenia is also a historical city in North Cyprus with numerous palaces and castles from antiquity. Casinos cause the increased in Casinos cause the increase in Casinos are increasing 86 Casinos bring economic 96 Casinos contribute to high quality 82 Casinos cause rapid urbanization 83 Historic values of Kyrenia have Casinos are threat to the 98 Casinos have positive impact on 92 Casinos are threat to the family 88 This is instrumental in understanding how residents make sense of their lives and experiences with the presence of casino gambling in their community Hsu, b.

When asked if they were happy with the presence of casinos in their community, When asked if they blame casinos for the increase in the living expenditures in their community, In the meantime, majority of the respondents blamed casinos for high prices of goods and services in their city. Table 5. Casinos are established 95 Presence of casinos entices 92 Casinos will bring prestige to 85 Scholars have applied different theories and utilized different methodologies to understand the impacts of and attitudes toward this form of tourism by employing social, economic, spatial, physical, environmental, and behavioral factors.

As described in the literature review, the outcome of the studies and findings of the research varies greatly for different gaming communities with regard to different theories and factors. At the same time, scholars have tried to determine which of these theories is more relevant to the specific cases that they studied. Furthermore, the bulk of the literature applied numerous theories but failed to clarify the strengths or weaknesses of each theory in relation to each specific case.

Our findings have produced several significant revelations. In the meantime, they did not see themselves as beneficiaries of casino gambling, either economically or socially. They felt and perceived the casino industry as an alien economic agent planted in their communities, which simply ran over their interests. In fact, in relation to employment, they are aware that the overwhelming majority of investments in casinos are foreign owned, which then employ foreign labor.

The implantation of casinos in Kyrenia, which are owned and operated by foreign investors and licensed by the political elite, confirms the growth machine theory at work. The theory continues to inspire researchers as it addresses the basic issues of growth, local economic development, and promotion of policies towards these goals.

The growth machine thesis is structured upon land uses, economic forces, and policies to facilitate processes of urban growth, but it also offers an elaboration or an exploration of place-building and sustainability. The relevancy and utility of the growth machine theory stands out strongly as it deals with: land usage, which is a central dimension in tourism planning and development; local economic development, which is the main motivation of host communities to achieve place-building and place- sustainability; and the role of the government in formulating tourism investment policies where investors are the forces of growth i.

In reference to the case of Kyrenia, local economic development i. It pinpoints specifically on the centrality of the strategies, schemes, and the needs of residents and their institutions at the local level. However, in the case of Kyrenia, residents have not been a dynamic part of casino gambling coalition to mould and shape the local development policies. Casino gambling-based interests, which is also land-based i.

Furthermore, casino gambling, as a growth machine, has had greater leeway in manipulating building regulations, environmental requirements, and local concerns to their benefit. This study has explored the fact that, although there are certain positive impacts resulting from different forms of tourism activities on the welfare of a community, there are still some forms of tourism which cannot easily overcome the conflicts of interests that may exist between the community in question and the nature of a particular tourism activity.

The results of this study, therefore, offer an important caveat for planners to ensure that they obtain firsthand knowledge of local attitudes and concerns about any tourism activity in their community Alonso, ; Gunce, ; Harrill et al. It is also true that an imposed economic activity, such as casino gambling, will incur a certain amount of economic benefit for some, in the short term at least; however, it is vital to integrate the views of the community into the actual planning processes Dredge, as well as to ensure its participation in these processes.

The result of the study demonstrated that the case of Kyrenia is unique as it moves beyond the confinement of theoretical explanations abundant in the literature. Instead, the case of Kyrenia contains particular parameters of its own which are plausible enough to permit us to employ growth machine theory to explain our case.

International Gambling Studies, 6 2 , Las Vega Degil, Las Karpaz. Alonso, A, D. Is Wellington Environmentally Friendly? Journal of Tourism Consumption and Practice, 1 1 , Altinay, L. Politics and tourism interface: the case of Cyprus.

Annals of Tourism Research, 33 4 , Anckar, D. Homogeneity and Smallness: Dahl and Tufte Revisited. Scandinavian Political Studies, 22 1 , Developing and testing a tourism impact scale. Journal of Travel Research, 37 2 , Ayres, R. Tourism as a passport to development in small states: reflection on Cyprus. International Journal of Social Economics, 27 2 , Beeton, S. Current Issues in Tourism, 6 4 , Bjelde, K.

Journal of Gambling Studies, 24 4 , Bryman, A. Social Research Methods 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Burby, R. The American Planning Association Journal, 69 1 , Burgess, J. Geography, 64 4 , Burns, P. Paradoxes in Planning: Tourism Elitism or Brutalism? Annals of Tourism Research, 26 2 , Butler, R. Tourism in the future: Cycles, waves or wheels? Futures, 41 6 , Caneday, L.

The social, economic, and environmental costs of tourism to a gambling community as perceived by its residents. Journal of Travel Research, 30 2 , Clark, T. The City as an Entertainment Machine. Stamford: JAI Press. Croes, R. A paradigm shift to a new strategy for small island economies: Embracing demand side economics for value enhancement and long term economic stability.

Tourism Management, 27 3 , Dinkov, D. Dogan, H. Forms of adjustment: Socio-cultural impacts of tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 16 2 , Dorothy, G. Sustainable Development: the challenge for community development. Community Development Journal, 32 3 , Dredge, D. Place change and tourism development conflict: Evaluating public interest. Tourism Management, 31 1 , Evans, P. Livable Cities? Fainstain, S. Readings in Urban Theory.

Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers. Felsenstein, D. Estimating the impacts of cross border competition: the case of gambling in Israel and Egypt. Tourism Management, 22 1 , Journal of Tourism and Cultural Chang, 3 1 , Green, R. Community perceptions of environmental and social change and tourism development on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25 1 , 37— Gonzales, A.

What does a casino mean to a tribe? Assessing the impact of casino development on Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. The Social Science Journal, 44 1 , Griswold, M. Social Capital and Casino Gambling in U.

Social Indicators Research, 77 3 , Gu, M. Tourism Geographies, 8 3 , Gunce, E. Cities, 20 3 , Tourism Planning 4th ed. New York: Routledge. It includes the Selimiye Mosque, which is known as the Hagia Sophia of the island, since it had been turned into a mosque from a cathedral, as well as inns, hamams, the historic building of the Directorate of Foundations, the Venetian Column and houses dating back to the Lusignan period.

With its 26 locations, the touristic route aims to demonstrate the unique richness and history of the foundations with all these unique examples. Discount on museums and restaurants The General Directorate of Foundations has prepared this tour with the contribution of professional associations and the Turkish Cypriot General Directorate of Foundations. Two restaurants along this route have reached an agreement for a 30 percent discount.

Certified guides will also be able to take advantage of the discounts on this route.

June 22,

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It was used as a marketplace in the Ottoman era. Today, it is used as a cultural center where various cultural activities such as concerts and festivals take place. These areas are characterized by multi-floor concrete buildings. In the outskirts of the city, a number large and imposing villas have been built that belong to the middle and upper-classes.

Politics and administration[ edit ] Governance of the metropolitan area[ edit ] Greater Nicosia Greater Nicosia is administered by several municipalities. In the centre is the city municipality of Nicosia itself see below. The population of the conurbation is , census, plus Turkish Cypriot administered census of of which , live within the Nicosia municipal area.

Because Nicosia municipality has separate communal municipal administrations, the population of Strovolos 67, Census is actually the largest of all the local authorities in Greater Nicosia. Within Nicosia municipality, most of the population resides in the more recently annexed outlying areas of Kaimakli , Pallouriotissa , Omorfita and Ayii Omoloyites.

There is no metropolitan authority as such for Greater Nicosia and various roles, responsibilities and functions for the wider area are undertaken by the Nicosia District administration, bodies such as the Nicosia Water Board and, to some extent, Nicosia municipality. Dometios, Latsia, Geri and Tseri. The board consists of three persons nominated by the Council of each municipality, plus three members appointed by the government, who are usually the District Officer of Nicosia District, who chairs the Board, the Accountant General and the Director of the Water Department.

The board also supply Anthoupolis and Ergates, for whom the government provide representatives. Thus the board is in the majority controlled by the municipalities of Greater Nicosia in providing this vital local government service. It is chaired ex officio by the Mayor of Nicosia and consists of members chosen by the municipalities of Nicosia 6 members , Strovolos 5 members , Aglandjia 2 members , Lakatamia 2 members , Ay.

Dometios 2 members , Engomi 2 members , Latsia 1 member. The sewage treatment plant is at Mia Milia. The Nicosia Sewerage System serves a population of approximately , and an area of 20 km2 8 sq mi. Transport services primarily bus and taxi are provided by private operators such as OSEL. The Constitution states that various main government buildings and headquarters must be situated within the Nicosia municipal boundaries. The Turkish Municipal Committees Temporary Provisions Law, [82] established a municipal authority run by a "Turkish Municipal Committee", defined as "the body of persons set up on or after the first day of July, , in the towns of Nicosia, Limassol, Famagusta, Larnaca and Paphos by the Turkish inhabitants thereof for the purpose of performing municipal functions within the municipal limits of such towns".

The Nicosia Turkish Municipality , founded in , carries out municipal duties in the northern and north-western part of city. In with the declaration of independence of Cyprus, the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus gave Turkish Cypriots the right to establish their own municipality. Other municipalities in Greater Nicosia[ edit ] Until there were no suburban municipalities. Dometios, Aglandjia, Latsia and Lakatamia were erected into municipalities.

All members of the council are elected directly by the people for a period of 5 years. Administrative divisions and demographics[ edit ] Main article: Administrative divisions of Nicosia Administrative divisions Census Nicosia within the city limits is divided into 29 administrative units, according to the latest census. This unit is termed in English as quarter , neighbourhood, parish , enoria or mahalla. Anthony , St. The municipality of Strovolos, established in , is the second largest municipal authority in Cyprus in terms of population after Limassol and encompasses the southern suburbs of the capital immediately adjacent to Nicosia municipality.

Previously a village authority, it now functions as a municipality [94] within the same area [95] The suburbs immediately to the north of the city have not been erected into municipalities. Religion[ edit ] Holy Cross Church Historically Nicosia is a melting pot harmonizing multiple religious establishments, denominations, churches, mosques, synagogues, etc. In , the Lusignan king, Henry II of Jerusalem , repaired the church after it was destroyed by an earthquake.

As many of the nuns were Armenian in origin, it came under the Armenian Church before The church suffered the collapse of some parts and a great deterioration of condition till , when the restoration work began. Antranik L. The archeparchy extends its jurisdiction over all the faithful Maronites of the island of Cyprus. The archeparchy at the end of out of a population of , people had 10, baptized, corresponding to 1. Its territory is divided into 12 parishes. The first cathedral was dedicated to St.

She worked as parliamentary associate of an MP in the Cypriot Parliament for 4 years and as a project manager in one of the major shareholders of the two airports in Cyprus. She also actively participates in the Southern Europe Tourism Initiative. She represents STEK in various tourism exhibitions abroad, as well as international tourism conferences and fora. Mr Pavlos Papazachariou Holds expertise in tourism marketing together with a solid background in finance, audit and accounting.

He was previously employed as a financial accountant and external auditor in Greece and Cyprus. He holds a five-year Diploma in Financial and Management Engineering with a specialization in performance management. Has also an MSc with distinction in Tourism Management and Marketing which provides him with a framework to conceive and comprehend the relationships between customer satisfaction and marketing optimization, along with the skills to conduct marketing plans, research planning and budgeting.

Currently he is in the final stage of becoming an ACCA member. Mrs Kyriakou has a Diploma in Office Administration.

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