Eastern Mediterranean University

CI-Premier Pte Ltd

Dear conference participants,

MINAS Tourism and Travel Agency is the official travel agency of 11th International Conference on Inspection, Appraisal, Repair and Maintenanca of structures organization to be held between 14-16 November, 2007 - by CI Premier Conferences at Rocks Hotel, Kyrenia, North Cyprus.

Please find below some topics and our contact information

For further information please contact us from RB07@minasturizm.com
from our Istanbul Office: (+90 216) 418 8499,
our head office in Cyprus: (+90 392) 227 3800

General Information About North Cyprus

Cyprus is a paradise island of incomparable beauty, full of unique historical treasures. It lies in the clear waters of Eastern Mediterranean, just 40 miles off the coast of Turkey, 60 miles from Syria and 250 miles from Egypt. After Sicily and Sardinia, it is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

North Cyprus provides a most hospitable welcome, with its friendly people, and its beautiful natural attractions, unspoilt, unpolluted and un-crowded. With kilometres of coastline and golden sands bathed in sunshine almost every day of the year. There is much of historical interest to reflect nine thousand years of history. Gothic churches rub shoulders with crusader castles, and ruined temples with British Colonial architecture in a fascinating blend of styles. The all pervading sense of the past adds to the enchantment of the present to make an unforgettable visit.

Here are some actual and up to date daily information;

Climate:

North Cyprus enjoys the benefits from the Mediterranean climate with long hot summers, short winters and little rain.

The temperature during the conference is expected to be around 16-18 degrees Celsius and not much rain is expected.

Population:

The population of North Cyprus is less than 200.000. Here are the populations of major towns:

The rest of the population lives in the villages.

Language:

People of North Cyprus speak Turkish as the native language. But a big majority speaks English. Greek is also very common among senior citizens.

Traffic:

We drive on the left in Cyprus. There is a considerably light traffic on the main roads. Only during the rush hours you may experience some dense traffic in town centres.

Electricity

The city energy in North Cyprus is 220W European standard. But the plugs are UK standard with 3 sockets.

Local transportation:

There are hourly and half-hourly minibus services between major towns and 24-hour taxi services available.

There are many car rental companies and you can hire a self-drive car during your stay. Please contact our travel agency for more information.

Currency:

Official local currency in North Cyprus is the New Turkish Lira (NTL). However every shop accepts Euros, GB Pounds, American Dollars and/or other major currencies. You may pay a shop or a taxi in any international currency and get the change back in Turkish Lira.

Here are the current exchange rates for
Turkish Lira (TL) and Cyprus Pounds (CYP)

1 € = 1,8 NTL 1 $ = 1,4 NTL 1 GBP = 2,7 NTL

1 CYP = 1,75 € 1 CYP = 2,25 $ 1 CYP = 1,25 GBP

Reminder: If you will be travelling to Famagusta via Greek Cyprus, please remember the regulation in the south of Cyprus is a bit different. Most shops or taxis may not accept any foreign currency in Greek Cyprus. They only accept their local currency, which is Cyprus Pounds, so you may need to exchange some money at the airport on your arrival.

Travel (Flights) and Local Transportation

You can book a flight from your original destination to Ercan Airport in North Cyprus, which is only 30 minutes away from Salamis Bay Hotel. Our travel agency provides transfers from Ercan to the hotel. Alternatively, you can book a flight to Larnaca International Airport in South (Greek) Cyprus. Our travel agency will also organize transfers from Larnaca Airport (or city centre) to Kyrenia town in North Cyprus, which is approximately a 2 hours drive by a shuttle bus.

The cost of transfers will be as the following;

From / to Ercan Airport € 10,00 per person one way
From / to Larnaca Airport € 35,00 per person one way

Minas Travel (our travel agency) can offer you the best available connections and prices for flights to either North or South Cyprus. Please fill in the form below and submit it if you need our assistance. We will contact you within the next business day and inform you about possible flight routes and airline companies. If you wish, we can issue and send you your ticket as well. We will apply a certain discount for participants travelling together from the same destination.

Flight information request form

Accommodation

The participants of the conference will stay at Rocks Hotel & Resort in Famagusta, which is a 5 star deluxe hotel.

You can find some pictures of the hotel and its rooms here:

All reservations for the conference participants shall be made through our travel agency. Special discounted group rates will be provided for the Conference participants. Please fill in the form below and submit it for a reservation request. Our travel agency will contact you on the availability of rooms and price details within the next business day.

By submitting this form you will only be requesting a room. Please do not include any credit card information in your reservation form. You will be contacted by Minas Travel for the payment after the confirmation of your booking.

Important: There is limited number of rooms available at the hotel for the conference period. So please hurry up to finalize your room reservation. The rooms will be reserved to participants on a strict "first come first served" basis. After 10 April we may not be able to provide any more rooms.

Room rates:

Room reservation request form

More information about the hotel and its facilities >>>

Excursions and Social Activities

Social program of the conference is not designed yet. More information will be available here soon.

You may contact us at any time before or during the conference for more excursions or recommendations for places of interest. Minas Travel Agency will have a welcome desk at the lobby of the hotel during the entire organisation for providing such services for the participants.

VISA Requirements

Nationals of European Community member countries, Israel, USA and Canada do not need a visa to travel to either North or South of Cyprus. But if you want to make a stopover in Istanbul for a few days before or after the conference you will need a visa for Turkey which can be easily obtained directly from the immigration office in Istanbul Airport.

For other nationals please contact us or the nearest Turkish Embassy to you in order to find out if you need a visa for North Cyprus.

For further information please contact us from RB07@minasturizm.com
from our Istanbul Office: (+90 216) 418 8499,
our head office in Cyprus: (+90 392) 227 3800