The first swimming pool business in Cyprus
The owner of the first swimming pool business in Cyprus saw the high probabilities of success for that business. He decided to establish such a business in order to satisfy the needs of the market. A specialized swimming pool firm was formed under the name Cyproswim Ltd and undertook the construction of the swimming pools at the Apollonia (Limassol), Golden Sands and Salamis Bay (Famagusta) hotels.
The owner specified the main reasons for his decision to establish such a company as follows:
1 the considerable increase in tourism that had led to a considerable increase in the number of hotels
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2 the market potentials were high, as were the probabilities for success 3 it was expected that the government would encourage and support him,
since the satisfaction of tourists was one of the government’s primary concerns during that time.
These expectations were fulfilled. Demand for swimming pools was high, people responded positively and the government created no problems for the import of swimming pool equipment and chemicals.
The first equipment was imported from the US but had European specifications. In addition to the installation of swimming pool equipment, the maintenance and the chemical treatment were among the responsibilities of the owner of the company. However, the chemicals needed for the treatment and purification of water were imported from Spain. According to the owner of the company, the government of Cyprus encouraged the import of equipment and chemicals, and there were no problems in obtaining import licences. The Cyprus Tourism Organization in its attempt to attract more and more tourists encouraged this. Nevertheless, the firm faced a number of problems during the first years of its operations. The lack of availability of skilled labour and the rapid increase in demand, which was too high to be satisfied, were some of the major problems that are discussed below.