The tourist issue in North Cyprus
The tourist issue in North Cyprus
Abstract: The Cyprus inland haves the particularity of concentrate the Mediterranean paradox. The Mediterranean is at the same time one of the main area of geopolitical tension and the main receiving pole of the worldwide tourist. If this cohabitation can be thinking at a small scale, this realisation at the insular scale is more complicate. We know few little about this political-tourist interaction.
The North Cyprus case can be use for understand this relation. What ere the link between this two fields, apparently opposed, tourist and geopolitics.
Key words: Cyprus, Tourist, globalisation, UN, EU
The weakness of the tourist in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus
The low-level of the tourist in the North Cyprus is atypical, the Mediterranean is still the most tourist region in the world. For evaluate this weakness we have to comparing the both republics, that sharing the Cyprus territory, the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. In 2001, the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, RTNC, tourist office counted 10 789 beds, for 120 the tourist establishment, at the same time, the Republic of Cyprus, ROC, counted 88 302. The rate of using of these establishments is only 31% for the North against 58% for the South. This different is translating in the place of the tourist inside the both economic, the tourist represent only 5,2% of the North GDP against 22% of the South GDP (Hellenic Bank 2001). This difference is outstanding when we take into consideration the fact that in 1974 the ROC lost 35% of this territory and 53% of the line cost, and in the tourist field 64% if the tourist establishments and 87% of the hotel beds in construction went into the Turkish army control and then to the TRNC. The domination of the ROC inside the tourist field wasn’t limited by the localisation of two British Sovereign Bases, which cut down this line cost at only 38% of the line coastal, not need to say that the Mediterranean tourist is mainly concentrate in the coastal.
The dominance of the Turkey in the North tourist market
In 2001, for the tourist office of the TRNC 69% of the tourist have the Turkish nationality. The cultural, political links between Turkey and the TRNC can explain this dominance. The Turkish tourist benefit from the inland proximity, Cyprus is at only 70 km from the Turkish cost and the low cost of living (the TRNC and the Republic of Turkey have the same money). The tourist policy in the TNRC looks for the Turkish market with an important of education system of third cycle. Today the northern territory has five Universities, in which a branch of the Anatolian Open University, the famous Turkish university. In 2002, 56% of the student in these universities had the Turkish nationality and only 36% have the TNRC nationality (State Planning Organisation 2002). These results are explained by the fact that only the Turkish Republic have recognised the TRNC existence and thus its bachelor's degree. For note, the access to the public University in Turkeys, like the Anatolian Open University, is sanctioned by an examination. The failure to the examination can be avoid by studding in a private University. The localisation of casinos in the North Cyprus enters in this strategy because the gambling is forbidden in Turkey. So the RTNC assure for the wealthy Turkish population a managed space for their leisure and privileged education.
The Turkey plays an indirect role in the tourist development. The agreement between the Turkish state and the TRNC airplane companies allow to implement “direct fly” for North Cyprus. And so away the forbidden for the plane coming from the European Union to put in the North Cyprus territory. The planes coming from the EU in stop over at the Turkish territory. This layover is not technical but political; the passengers cannot leave the airplane.
Coherently the economic crisis that touched Turkey in 2003 had affected directly the tourist activity in the TRNC. The importance of the turkey in the tourist field like the other economic sector is the consequence of the TRNC history.
The Annan Plan failure, some trouble in the beautiful future of the North Cyprus tourist
Implement and help by the EU integration of the ROC, the Annan Plan offer to the North Cyprus tourist a various way of development. According to it, a Cyprus Federate State composed by two “Constituent States”, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot. The tourist stays in the competence of each Constituent State, the cooperation and collaboration have to guide the policy of the two Constituent States (Annexe 1 Partie IV article 15-16).
The end of international embargo will allow a fast growth of the tourist help by foreign investment and European structural found (L. Altinay, « Possible impacts of a federal solution to the Cyprus problem on the tourism industry of North Cyprus », International Journal of Hospitality Management, No. 19, 295- 309). This scenario wasn’t applied, the 24 of April 2004 the Republic of Cyprus electors refused the Annan Plan.
One of the explanations of the Annan Plan failure is the solution proposes for the land issue. In the North Cyprus territory, under the TRNC sovereignty, more or less 80% of the properties have Greek Cypriot owner. After the 1974 military intervention, these properties were confiscated and mainly redistributed to 50 or 80.000 Anatolian peasants (Chypre et Malte : deux États insulaires dans l’Union européenne P. Rognon Annales de Géographie N° 644 Juillet-Août 2005). The ROC claim the full restitution of the properties lost with the 1974 crisis and the TRNC claim for the implementation of commissions in charge to compensate the legal owners. The both solution were in the Annan Plan, some territory transfer from the TRNC to the ROC, see map°2, and the use of financial compensation. It last proposition was reject by the ROC citizen because it will be the Federal State that will paid the compensation of the legal owners, and not the Turkish Cypriot Constituent State.
The financial compensation problem comes from the type of lands, which stay under the North sovereignty. For the Plan, the Turkish Cypriot Constituent State territory represents 28% of the whole inland area, but it part of the line cost stay at 52%. No need to say that this type of land is important for the tourist development. How the commission will evaluate these lands? With their past, present of potential value?
The failure to the Annan plan make that the ROC is the only one political authority recognized for the whole inland, except for the Turkey, and their properties title are the only recognized by the UN and the EU.
The new trends of the North Cyprus tourist
We can see some change in the tourist origin and the type of offer. These tends can be evaluate via Internet. It easily to find wed site specialise in the construction and selling. For example the Northern Cyprus Property put forward “luxury gated complex of garden and penthouse residences” in Girme (Kyrenia). On one hand in the North we can find a “luxury detached villa” in the sea cost is sell at £UK 39,000 and on the other hand a “one bed flat in a block with communal swimming pools ” for £UK 50,000. In the same way some former tourists selling their advise for the make land purchase.
What look like these new comers? In 2001, 25% of the 200,000 customers of the tourist resort come from UK. For the “Sport Telegraph” the TRNC is become “an increasingly popular destination for British couples with modest pensions and a taste for Mediterranean life”. In 2004, the government of the ROC evaluate at 2.800 the numbers of British citizen that try to buy contentious lands, that represent an growth of 300% in comparison to the 2003 estimation. Of course the role of the UK in the modern history of Cyprus explain also why the UK citizen are remarkable.
But what are the roots of this change ?
The indirect impact of the boycott on the TRNC tourist
One of the effect of the boycott, implement by the UN, is well know, TRNC economy stagnation and the ROC success. This report is common in the presentations or studies of Cyprus, underline that if the UN policy is not useful or hurtful its works. But it is not so clear if we take in consideration the new tourist trend. The RTNC embargo (output) and boycott (input) lead to de facto conservation of the building and ecological environment. The Northern sea costs was protect from concrete. In the northern landscape we do not find the unending line of resort and other tourist facilities as we can find in the southern part of Cyprus and in the entire tourist seaside places around the world. The rise in the western countries of the sustainable development issue and of the “post-modern” view on underdevelopment produce a critic of this type of development, guilty of environmental and cultural degradation. Thus the North Cyprus has a comparative advantage. The North landscape is not considerate as the revelatory of its economic lateness but as a sign of its authenticity. In its guide North Cyprus, D. Darke said that North Cyprus is “probably the most unspoilt corner in the Mediterranean”. These new trend in the world tourist demand promote a more “respectable” and “human” development which translated by the growth of detached house and villa.
The positive effects of the good electoral behaviour
The founds and juridical arrangements propose by EU in the case of the entry of a united inland was not totally stop with the failure of the Annan Plan. For Günter Verheugen, European Commissioner in charge of the EU integration, “the Turkish Cypriot community have formulate a huge support in favour of the UN plan for the Cyprus reunification, it will be unjust to not help them”. Between 2004-2006, this help represented 159 million euros for help the development of the TRNC. The Partnership for the Futur, PFF, program manages this founds in collaboration with the UNDP and UNOPS. This program is involved in the tourist field with promoting of sustainable tourism. Eleven speech on tourism were programming in 2004 by the PFF, like in June 2006 the speech “Train the Trainers Course for Tourist Guide ” with the collaboration of the World Federation of Tourist Association, WFTG.
The EU is not the only one talker for the TRNC representatives. Before his official trip to Washington, Mehmet Ali Talat the former Prime Minister of the TRNC, said at the Turkish television that he will ask to Condoleezza Rice the opening of his country to the American investments, especially in tourism.
The tourism development could by away for reduce the Turkish presence in the North territory. The Turkish Republic assures with its grants more or less 80% of the TRNC budget. The Turkey has also 35.000 militaries in the North territory. The tourism could help to give more self-sufficiency to the TRNC and so limits the Turkey role in the Cyprus issue.
The potentiality of tourist can be evaluate with these following data: from January 2003 to June 2006, the land asking prices in the North grew of 417% and 30% for the South (Platis S.,etc, 2006, p40).In spite of this huge in average, the square meter prices in the North represented 21,5% of the South asking prices (Platis S.,etc, 2006, p40).
The ROC juridical counter-attack
After enters in EU the government of Tassos Papadopoulos, President of the ROC, had not contested the fond for the North part. The European Commission reasserted that goal is not to recognize the TRNC. But the tourist development facing others attacks from the Greek Cypriot society. The Oram’s trial is one of the most know of its juridical counter-attack. This process is against a retired British family, their holiday home is building on a plot belong to a Greek Cypriot family who been expulsed during the military intervention in 1974. The link with the tourist issue is reinforcing because the complaint come from an architect member of the Organisation of the Cyprus Tourist. The Oram say that they are the legal owner of this property located in the Lapta village in the Northern Cyprus, acquired according to the RTNC laws. For the Greek Cypriot family, their land located in the Lepithos village stay in the family property according to the ROC legislation, which have the de jure sovereignty all over the inland territory.
At international scale, the ROC citizen can use the obligation of cooperation between state’s members of the EU and the Lizidou European Human Right Court judgement of 1996. The European Human Right Court condemn the Turkey for not respect the property right in forbidden the legal owner to go in this property located in the north territory. This judgment is typical of the Cyprus issue, the no-recognition of the TRNC not allow condemning it. That made the Turkey at the first place in the Cyprus issue, place that could be reduce if the tourism development give at least economic independence to the TRNC.
The Oram’s trial will play for the future of the TRNC tourism. The first judgment in 2004 has condemned the Oram to destroy their house and pay amend to the Apostolides family. Using the EU jurisdiction, the Apotolides ask to the London Hight Court to requisition the British resident of the Oram if the judgment is not apply. For the appeal the Oram choose of a new advocate. The Oram family chooses Cherie Booth, the wife of Tony Blair. For President Papadopoulos, this choose is a “provocation”. Even if the new trial is not finish it create in the North market a difference in term of prices between the properties coming from a legal incertitude. The properties that don’t have title previous to 1974 are dealing cheaper.
Is it a new colonization policy? After the 1974 crisis the authority of Turkey and North Cyprus implemented a colonization policy for try to repopulate the North territory. But this policy shows its limit. Selling properties to foreigners can be a more lucrative strategy in many ways. It will also complicate the Cyprus issue with the arrival of new agent like the European Property Association of Northern Cyprus. The ROC government cannot forget the place of British citizen in this tourist sector. In 2005, the British tourists represent 56% all tourist in the South and their participation to the GDP estimate at 11%. The ROC have to protect there de jure territory not from Turkish military or poor peasant coming from the Wild East Anatolia but from low middle class British retired.
Abstract: The Cyprus inland haves the particularity of concentrate the Mediterranean paradox. The Mediterranean is at the same time one of the main area of geopolitical tension and the main receiving pole of the worldwide tourist. If this cohabitation can be thinking at a small scale, this realisation at the insular scale is more complicate. We know few little about this political-tourist interaction.
The North Cyprus case can be use for understand this relation. What ere the link between this two fields, apparently opposed, tourist and geopolitics.
Key words: Cyprus, Tourist, globalisation, UN, EU
The weakness of the tourist in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus
The low-level of the tourist in the North Cyprus is atypical, the Mediterranean is still the most tourist region in the world. For evaluate this weakness we have to comparing the both republics, that sharing the Cyprus territory, the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. In 2001, the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, RTNC, tourist office counted 10 789 beds, for 120 the tourist establishment, at the same time, the Republic of Cyprus, ROC, counted 88 302. The rate of using of these establishments is only 31% for the North against 58% for the South. This different is translating in the place of the tourist inside the both economic, the tourist represent only 5,2% of the North GDP against 22% of the South GDP (Hellenic Bank 2001). This difference is outstanding when we take into consideration the fact that in 1974 the ROC lost 35% of this territory and 53% of the line cost, and in the tourist field 64% if the tourist establishments and 87% of the hotel beds in construction went into the Turkish army control and then to the TRNC. The domination of the ROC inside the tourist field wasn’t limited by the localisation of two British Sovereign Bases, which cut down this line cost at only 38% of the line coastal, not need to say that the Mediterranean tourist is mainly concentrate in the coastal.
The dominance of the Turkey in the North tourist market
In 2001, for the tourist office of the TRNC 69% of the tourist have the Turkish nationality. The cultural, political links between Turkey and the TRNC can explain this dominance. The Turkish tourist benefit from the inland proximity, Cyprus is at only 70 km from the Turkish cost and the low cost of living (the TRNC and the Republic of Turkey have the same money). The tourist policy in the TNRC looks for the Turkish market with an important of education system of third cycle. Today the northern territory has five Universities, in which a branch of the Anatolian Open University, the famous Turkish university. In 2002, 56% of the student in these universities had the Turkish nationality and only 36% have the TNRC nationality (State Planning Organisation 2002). These results are explained by the fact that only the Turkish Republic have recognised the TRNC existence and thus its bachelor's degree. For note, the access to the public University in Turkeys, like the Anatolian Open University, is sanctioned by an examination. The failure to the examination can be avoid by studding in a private University. The localisation of casinos in the North Cyprus enters in this strategy because the gambling is forbidden in Turkey. So the RTNC assure for the wealthy Turkish population a managed space for their leisure and privileged education.
The Turkey plays an indirect role in the tourist development. The agreement between the Turkish state and the TRNC airplane companies allow to implement “direct fly” for North Cyprus. And so away the forbidden for the plane coming from the European Union to put in the North Cyprus territory. The planes coming from the EU in stop over at the Turkish territory. This layover is not technical but political; the passengers cannot leave the airplane.
Coherently the economic crisis that touched Turkey in 2003 had affected directly the tourist activity in the TRNC. The importance of the turkey in the tourist field like the other economic sector is the consequence of the TRNC history.
The Annan Plan failure, some trouble in the beautiful future of the North Cyprus tourist
Implement and help by the EU integration of the ROC, the Annan Plan offer to the North Cyprus tourist a various way of development. According to it, a Cyprus Federate State composed by two “Constituent States”, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot. The tourist stays in the competence of each Constituent State, the cooperation and collaboration have to guide the policy of the two Constituent States (Annexe 1 Partie IV article 15-16).
The end of international embargo will allow a fast growth of the tourist help by foreign investment and European structural found (L. Altinay, « Possible impacts of a federal solution to the Cyprus problem on the tourism industry of North Cyprus », International Journal of Hospitality Management, No. 19, 295- 309). This scenario wasn’t applied, the 24 of April 2004 the Republic of Cyprus electors refused the Annan Plan.
One of the explanations of the Annan Plan failure is the solution proposes for the land issue. In the North Cyprus territory, under the TRNC sovereignty, more or less 80% of the properties have Greek Cypriot owner. After the 1974 military intervention, these properties were confiscated and mainly redistributed to 50 or 80.000 Anatolian peasants (Chypre et Malte : deux États insulaires dans l’Union européenne P. Rognon Annales de Géographie N° 644 Juillet-Août 2005). The ROC claim the full restitution of the properties lost with the 1974 crisis and the TRNC claim for the implementation of commissions in charge to compensate the legal owners. The both solution were in the Annan Plan, some territory transfer from the TRNC to the ROC, see map°2, and the use of financial compensation. It last proposition was reject by the ROC citizen because it will be the Federal State that will paid the compensation of the legal owners, and not the Turkish Cypriot Constituent State.
The financial compensation problem comes from the type of lands, which stay under the North sovereignty. For the Plan, the Turkish Cypriot Constituent State territory represents 28% of the whole inland area, but it part of the line cost stay at 52%. No need to say that this type of land is important for the tourist development. How the commission will evaluate these lands? With their past, present of potential value?
The failure to the Annan plan make that the ROC is the only one political authority recognized for the whole inland, except for the Turkey, and their properties title are the only recognized by the UN and the EU.
The new trends of the North Cyprus tourist
We can see some change in the tourist origin and the type of offer. These tends can be evaluate via Internet. It easily to find wed site specialise in the construction and selling. For example the Northern Cyprus Property put forward “luxury gated complex of garden and penthouse residences” in Girme (Kyrenia). On one hand in the North we can find a “luxury detached villa” in the sea cost is sell at £UK 39,000 and on the other hand a “one bed flat in a block with communal swimming pools ” for £UK 50,000. In the same way some former tourists selling their advise for the make land purchase.
What look like these new comers? In 2001, 25% of the 200,000 customers of the tourist resort come from UK. For the “Sport Telegraph” the TRNC is become “an increasingly popular destination for British couples with modest pensions and a taste for Mediterranean life”. In 2004, the government of the ROC evaluate at 2.800 the numbers of British citizen that try to buy contentious lands, that represent an growth of 300% in comparison to the 2003 estimation. Of course the role of the UK in the modern history of Cyprus explain also why the UK citizen are remarkable.
But what are the roots of this change ?
The indirect impact of the boycott on the TRNC tourist
One of the effect of the boycott, implement by the UN, is well know, TRNC economy stagnation and the ROC success. This report is common in the presentations or studies of Cyprus, underline that if the UN policy is not useful or hurtful its works. But it is not so clear if we take in consideration the new tourist trend. The RTNC embargo (output) and boycott (input) lead to de facto conservation of the building and ecological environment. The Northern sea costs was protect from concrete. In the northern landscape we do not find the unending line of resort and other tourist facilities as we can find in the southern part of Cyprus and in the entire tourist seaside places around the world. The rise in the western countries of the sustainable development issue and of the “post-modern” view on underdevelopment produce a critic of this type of development, guilty of environmental and cultural degradation. Thus the North Cyprus has a comparative advantage. The North landscape is not considerate as the revelatory of its economic lateness but as a sign of its authenticity. In its guide North Cyprus, D. Darke said that North Cyprus is “probably the most unspoilt corner in the Mediterranean”. These new trend in the world tourist demand promote a more “respectable” and “human” development which translated by the growth of detached house and villa.
The positive effects of the good electoral behaviour
The founds and juridical arrangements propose by EU in the case of the entry of a united inland was not totally stop with the failure of the Annan Plan. For Günter Verheugen, European Commissioner in charge of the EU integration, “the Turkish Cypriot community have formulate a huge support in favour of the UN plan for the Cyprus reunification, it will be unjust to not help them”. Between 2004-2006, this help represented 159 million euros for help the development of the TRNC. The Partnership for the Futur, PFF, program manages this founds in collaboration with the UNDP and UNOPS. This program is involved in the tourist field with promoting of sustainable tourism. Eleven speech on tourism were programming in 2004 by the PFF, like in June 2006 the speech “Train the Trainers Course for Tourist Guide ” with the collaboration of the World Federation of Tourist Association, WFTG.
The EU is not the only one talker for the TRNC representatives. Before his official trip to Washington, Mehmet Ali Talat the former Prime Minister of the TRNC, said at the Turkish television that he will ask to Condoleezza Rice the opening of his country to the American investments, especially in tourism.
The tourism development could by away for reduce the Turkish presence in the North territory. The Turkish Republic assures with its grants more or less 80% of the TRNC budget. The Turkey has also 35.000 militaries in the North territory. The tourism could help to give more self-sufficiency to the TRNC and so limits the Turkey role in the Cyprus issue.
The potentiality of tourist can be evaluate with these following data: from January 2003 to June 2006, the land asking prices in the North grew of 417% and 30% for the South (Platis S.,etc, 2006, p40).In spite of this huge in average, the square meter prices in the North represented 21,5% of the South asking prices (Platis S.,etc, 2006, p40).
The ROC juridical counter-attack
After enters in EU the government of Tassos Papadopoulos, President of the ROC, had not contested the fond for the North part. The European Commission reasserted that goal is not to recognize the TRNC. But the tourist development facing others attacks from the Greek Cypriot society. The Oram’s trial is one of the most know of its juridical counter-attack. This process is against a retired British family, their holiday home is building on a plot belong to a Greek Cypriot family who been expulsed during the military intervention in 1974. The link with the tourist issue is reinforcing because the complaint come from an architect member of the Organisation of the Cyprus Tourist. The Oram say that they are the legal owner of this property located in the Lapta village in the Northern Cyprus, acquired according to the RTNC laws. For the Greek Cypriot family, their land located in the Lepithos village stay in the family property according to the ROC legislation, which have the de jure sovereignty all over the inland territory.
At international scale, the ROC citizen can use the obligation of cooperation between state’s members of the EU and the Lizidou European Human Right Court judgement of 1996. The European Human Right Court condemn the Turkey for not respect the property right in forbidden the legal owner to go in this property located in the north territory. This judgment is typical of the Cyprus issue, the no-recognition of the TRNC not allow condemning it. That made the Turkey at the first place in the Cyprus issue, place that could be reduce if the tourism development give at least economic independence to the TRNC.
The Oram’s trial will play for the future of the TRNC tourism. The first judgment in 2004 has condemned the Oram to destroy their house and pay amend to the Apostolides family. Using the EU jurisdiction, the Apotolides ask to the London Hight Court to requisition the British resident of the Oram if the judgment is not apply. For the appeal the Oram choose of a new advocate. The Oram family chooses Cherie Booth, the wife of Tony Blair. For President Papadopoulos, this choose is a “provocation”. Even if the new trial is not finish it create in the North market a difference in term of prices between the properties coming from a legal incertitude. The properties that don’t have title previous to 1974 are dealing cheaper.
Is it a new colonization policy? After the 1974 crisis the authority of Turkey and North Cyprus implemented a colonization policy for try to repopulate the North territory. But this policy shows its limit. Selling properties to foreigners can be a more lucrative strategy in many ways. It will also complicate the Cyprus issue with the arrival of new agent like the European Property Association of Northern Cyprus. The ROC government cannot forget the place of British citizen in this tourist sector. In 2005, the British tourists represent 56% all tourist in the South and their participation to the GDP estimate at 11%. The ROC have to protect there de jure territory not from Turkish military or poor peasant coming from the Wild East Anatolia but from low middle class British retired.
Publicité