JMC to invest £20m in unique Cypriot holiday village venture

Operator to liaise with architects after signing 12-year lease on Paphian Sun Holiday Village

JMC to invest £20m in unique Cypriot holiday village venture

Exclusive Report by ANDREAPERRY

Tour operator JMC is to pump over £20 million into a new holiday venture in Cyprus, as part of the operator’s long-term plans to establish a series of flagship properties in key resorts.

The 12-year lease deal on the Paphian Sun Holiday Village complex which, when completed, will offer 220 apartments, has been signed with a consortium of Cypriot businessmen.

This is a new departure for JMC, which is one-year-old this week, as it is liaising directly with the architects of the scheme to design the beach-front property, five miles from the centre of Paphos.

JMChas set itself an ambitious target of attracting in excess of 100,000 UK-only visitors by 2013. The four-star property won’t be completed until next April but already holidays to the village for next summer are selling well, said JMC product director Alan MacLean.

One week self-catering deals lead in at £349 per person in May, including flights, based on six people sharing.

The decision to invest so heavily in Cyprus was taken after what MacLean describes as a “phenomenal” few years for the resort, helped by the very strong pound.

“This is the largest development we have done from the ground up. Obviously we are a tour operator but it is in our own interest to have more control and input in to the management of these properties so that our customers get the best service.

“We want to see 20 more built but in reality it is not usually obtainable, particularly in key destinations. There is a battle over ground and getting the best spots.”

n See JMC Hot Deals story, page 6

Hot ticket: people have booked holidays to the Paphian Sun Holiday Village after only seeing an artist’s impression of the complex