Limassol installs ten Caretta-caretta turtle sculptures

Limassol has taken a novel approach to combining awareness of environmental issues with attracting tourists, by installing 10 sculptures of Caretta-caretta turtles at key spots across the coastal city.

The action was revealed at a news conference on Thursday.

Tony Antoniou, chairman of the Limassol Tourism Development and Promotion Co Ltd, said the base of each of the sculptures has a scannable QR code.

Antoniou explained that scanning the QR code gives background information about the spot where the individual is located, but also directions to the nearest turtle sculpture.

By walking from one sculpture location to the next, visitors are encouraged to take a tour of the city.

“It’s a supporting project that will help not only tourists coming here from other towns, but mostly tourists coming off of cruise liners, the numbers of whom have risen spectacularly,” Antoniou said.

The Caretta-caretta (loggerhead sea turtle) is considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The coastlines of Cyprus are common nesting sites.