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Impressive images: The underwater sculpture museum of Ayia Napa “MUSAN” was inaugurated (photos)

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Impressive images: The underwater sculpture museum of Ayia Napa

The inauguration of the Underwater Museum of Sculpture of Ayia Napa “MUSAN” took place on Saturday, with which Cyprus is dynamically included in the map of world diving tourism.

The inauguration took place on the sidewalk of Ayia Napa beach “Pernera”, in the presence of the artist, Jason deCaires Taylor, who created the 93 underwater works of art, by the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Giannis Karousos, together with the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Minister of Environment Costas Kadis and the Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios. According to Mr. Carouso, the underwater museum is expected to attract, on an annual basis, more than 50,000 tourists from all over the world.

Impressive images: The underwater sculpture museum of Ayia Napa

The inauguration of the Underwater Museum of Sculpture of Ayia Napa “MUSAN” took place on Saturday, with which Cyprus is dynamically included in the map of world diving tourism.

In his greeting, the Minister of Transport and former Mayor of Ayia Napa, said he was proud to have promoted the MUSAN Underwater Museum during my seven-year term as Mayor of the city. “It is a Mediterranean jewel created by world-renowned artist Jason deCaires Taylor and offers the visitor a unique experience that demonstrates man's relationship with nature, the environment and the seabed,” he said.

He referred to the goal of making Ayia Napa the “best and most cosmopolitan tourist resort in the Mediterranean by 2030”, saying that in order to achieve the vision they implemented the strategy of “Integrated Tourist Experience”, aiming for visitors to gain unique experiences and memories. .

To that end, we have begun to turn Ayia Napa into a city of experience, parks, monuments and landmarks, he said. In this strategy, he continued, it was necessary to create underwater reference points in order to develop diving tourism.

“Through this vision and strategy, the proposal was submitted in 2014 to the Municipal Council for the creation of a unique underwater reference point, the underwater sculpture park and in 2017, accompanied by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, we began the maturation of the project, the which we signed in the summer of 2019 and its implementation began. “I am sure that every visitor to the underwater park, upon returning home, will take some Ayia Napa with him,” he noted.

Impressive images: The underwater sculpture museum of Ayia Napa

For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Costas Kadis, said that Jason deCaires Taylor is an artist whose concern about the effects of climate change, overfishing and other human interventions has led him to various parts of the world. , where he tried with his works to create ideal conditions for the development of marine life at all levels. He succeeded, he added, showing that there are also human interventions with beneficial effects on the marine environment.

“Jason's visual interventions change the perspective through which we face environmental issues and remind us that man can coexist harmoniously with the marine environment,” said Mr. Kadis. He also mentioned that the possibilities and challenges are many. “The Municipality of Ayia Napa and the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research will continue to work responsibly for the effective management of the underwater museum, which will add to the value of Cyprus in terms of tourism and culture,” he added.

Impressive images: The underwater sculpture museum of Ayia Napa

MUSAN is considered a milestone for the tourist product and the promotion of the marine environment of Cyprus, since it is a unique experience that combines the marine natural environment and art in a way that impresses. In his greeting, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Savvas Perdios stated that “diving tourism is a priority product in the National Tourism Strategy 2030. This is an important sector for the destination of Cyprus, which can significantly contribute to attracting specialized tourism and not” .

He also said that MUSAN “complements the offered product of Cyprus in a unique way that we believe today has been fully understood by all. That is why today we host 30 distinguished journalists in the sector from priority markets, offering them a unique hosting program, which we are sure will impress them “.

Impressive images: The underwater sculpture museum of Ayia Napa

The guests at the ceremony had the opportunity to hear from the artist himself, Jason deCaires Taylor, his idea for MUSAN and the timeline of its creation. The artist presented the Ayia Napa Underwater Museum (MUSAN) with two short videos.

The MUSAN ceremony was opened by the Mayor of Ayia Napa, Christos Zannettou, who said that he was very excited that this project was being inaugurated under his own mayorship. He added that the museum “is a legacy for future generations and contains many symbolisms, related to the alienation of man from the environment, the relationship between generations and climate change. I am proud that among the models are two little Kypriopoulos, the forms of which we are revealing today and which will always be here to mark the location of the Museum “.

He also mentioned that the budget of the Underwater Museum of Sculpture of Ayia Napa amounts to the amount of one million euros “and with today's act we raise our Cyprus higher, especially in these difficult times”.

He added that “this project marks a new beginning for our country. It enriches our tourism product and is now part of our national wealth. At the same time, it upgrades and attracts a special portion of tourists, with special interests and offers a unique experience to all groups and ages of our visitors. At the same time, it supports the efforts for the extension of our tourist season, operating reciprocally in our national economy “.

Impressive images: The underwater sculpture museum of Ayia Napa

The creation of MUSAN was a joint effort of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, the Municipality of Ayia Napa and the Ministry of Tourism. In her greeting, the Director of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, Marina Argyrou, expressed her great satisfaction and enthusiasm, since a unique and innovative project that we envisioned together with the Municipality of Ayia Napa is becoming a reality today.

“I firmly believe that Jason's 93 projects will be a haven for many marine organisms and will contribute to the development of biodiversity in the area. “The underwater museum will be a living visual and ecological experience, with works of art interacting with nature and evolving over time and bringing the world even closer to the marine environment, closer to the preservation and protection of the marine ecosystem,” he said. .

The international media, whose representatives arrived in Cyprus to record the inauguration and to see the works of MUSAN up close, also showed intense interest in the Underwater Museum. On Saturday morning, the Municipality of Ayia Napa, together with the Ministry of Tourism, organized a breakfast during which they had the opportunity to talk with the artist and the Mayor of Ayia Napa. Late in the afternoon, the first dive and guided tour of the new museum took place.

Impressive images: The underwater sculpture museum of Ayia Napa

At the new Ayia Napa Underwater Sculpture Museum (MUSAN), visitors will be able to tour an underwater forest, the first of its kind in the world. There, they will meet 93 works of art by Jason deCaires Taylor, inspired by nature and man. At the same time, the museum is in itself a work of art, in which nature will be an artist and will make its own interventions, over time.

The projects have been designed in a way and materials that attract marine life, while they will be placed at different depths, thus creating a suitable substrate for marine life at all levels. The sculptures are made of inert materials, with neutral pH, so as not to adversely affect the area where they will be placed. This is a sandy area, 200 meters from the coastline of Ayia Napa and it is expected that over time the biodiversity of the area will be enriched, thanks to the museum.

Museum visitors can be divers, but also masked and snorkel swimmers. The whole project is a water journey in the relationship between man and nature, as created by the renowned Jason deCaires Taylor. The artist uses his knowledge and skills as a sculptor, marine conservationist, underwater photographer and scuba instructor, to create unique works of art, which respond to the space to be placed and enhance marine life.

Source: KYPE

Source: politis.com.cy

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