Plans were unveiled on Sunday for artificial islands to be constructed off the coast of the Karpass peninsula and the Kyrenia district.

The plans were presented by Emrullah Turanli, chairman of Turkish construction giant Tasyapi and of T&T airports, the companies which built and operate the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport, as part of wider plans aimed at making the north a more attractive tourist destination.

He described the islands as “visionary islands extending into the blue of the sea”, and said they can “bring together luxury and sustainability in a range of projects ranging from boutique villas to world-class marinas”.

In addition to the islands, he also unveiled plans to “transform” the north’s main roads “from merely asphalt into lush green welcoming corridors adorned with citrus groves, olive groves, and the symbol of the island, bougainvillea”.

“We can install smart irrigation systems and low-emission irrigation systems in these corridors,” he said.

He then said that “a port with a capacity of 15 million tonnes per year” of cargo “can be built by building modern logistics terminals in Morphou”, and that the coast of Famagusta “could be used for tourism purposes”.

“By placing the fertility of the soil and the bounty of the sun at the centre of our vision for Cyprus, we can meet a large proportion of our energy needs from clean sources through solar and wind farms established across the island. Energy can not only power the grid, but also high-tech greenhouses,” he said.

He went on to speak about how he could “introduce silent and environmentally friendly drone taxis” and thus offer “a new generation of transportation experience extending to Karpasia”.

“Aircraft capable of vertical take-off from main coastal stations could provide access to Karpasia and leading destinations in northern Cyprus within minutes,” he said.

There were more plans, too. He then said there could be “an indoor ice ski resort at high altitude”, where “we can create artificial snow even on the hottest summer days and make tourists experience the excitement of snowy peaks”.

All of these plans, he said, could “trigger a rippling transformation in the island’s economy” and increase the number of tourists visiting the north fivefold to around 15 million per year, bringing in €50 billion of tourism revenue.

He said he aims to “offer a future so concrete that it does not just remain on paper, yet so bold that it transcends dreams”.

He added that the plans had been “crafted from meticulously prepared feasibility studies”, and that once they are brought to fruition, “we will be able to provide the Turkish Cypriot people with the prosperity they deserve”.

Environmentalist group the Green action movement responded to the plans on Monday night, describing them as “false dreams” and saying that were the plans to come to fruition, they would “irreversibly destroy the nature of the island”.

“The so-called tourism investments mentioned, oblivious to our country’s true riches, are essentially aimed at filling the sea, opening up coastlines to construction, and destroying the already fragile marine life. After years of unplanned plundering on land, it appears that the sea’s turn has now come,” the group said.