Those seasonal family holidays who are going to Cyprus in the hope of celebrating their New Year’s Eve in the Cypriot city of Paphos, could quite possibly get the chance to view the largest doner kebab that has ever been created, amongst a great deal of other activities.

Paphos has rounded up all its local cooks for the attempt at breaking the world record for the largest doner kebab ever created and will play a huge part in the city’s New Year celebrations.

Paphos is organising the 2009 New Year Celebrations for the first time in 5 years. Most of the festive activity is to take place near the town hall and around its huge Christmas tree which is situated just outside the door.

The celebrations are due to start on the 31st December at 10pm local time and they will be open to everyone. This New Year celebration will include music, entertainment and free drinks!

Authorities for the city have invested heavily in a large number of new Christmas decorations this year; including the fully illuminated Poseidonos Avenue within Kato Paphos. It is the first time ever that Paphos will have invested in decorations of this magnitude in the town’s history.

Ada Maxwell is a seasonal resident and she told a national British tabloid:

“I come to Paphos for the winter and this year the seafront looks fabulous. I walked down here last night and I felt really Christmassy. The new promenade is great and is set off beautifully at night by the twinkling lights.”

Paphos is a popular destination for festive family holidays but this year there are more flights to Cyprus due to the town promising to offer a large festive agenda; from record breaking attempts to a stunning display of lights, entertainment, food and free drinks at the town’s New Year’s Eve party. There are events to pack your New Year holiday calendar within a host of other resorts around Cyprus including the renowned party town of Ayia Napa and the towns of Nicosia and Limassol.

The new Paphos international airport in Cyprus was launched this week and according to sources, the initial operations experienced no problems at all.

The 17th November saw the first departure take off on time at 10.30am, travelling to London Heathrow airport with Cyprus Airways and the first arrival was from Helsinki with Finnair.

According to the Cyprus Mail, a spokesperson for Hermes, the operating company of the airport, Adam Aspris said that operations ran smoothly all day. He said:

‘We are very pleased about the first day of operation and all the procedures ran smoothly. There were no major problems, and the passengers seemed pleased with the level and quality of service they received.’

Hermes had set up several tests to make sure that there would be no problems during the airport’s first operational day, including using mock passengers to run through the facilities and report back to Hermes.

Flights on the hub’s first day included fourteen inbound and fourteen outbound scheduled services. Over 2 million passengers are expected to use the airport throughout its first year of service.

Cyprus is a popular destination with many Brits as cheap holidays are aplenty.

The president of Cyprus, Demetris Christofias, was involved in an inauguration ceremony on the 8th November for the new international airport in Cyprus, in the bargain holidays hotspot Paphos.

At this event, the president confirmed the government would continue to support the tourist industry for the island.

He said:

‘Particular emphasis is given on supporting the tourist industry and maintaining the tourist traffic to Cyprus at least at the level of previous years. This target can only be achieved through attracting tourists from new markets like Russia, Ukraine and others.’

The new airport has been designed with the reported myth of Paphos’ relationship with the Greek goddess Aphrodite. After 27 months of construction, the airport was completed both on time and within budget.

The new airport will open on Monday 17th November and is expected to handle approximately 2.7 million passengers each year. It has a large car park area, relaxation and retail places as well as VIP accommodation.

Next year, another new airport is planned for Larnaca, expected to open next November. There are still plenty of cheap holidays available for those who wish to spend some time in the winter sun of Cyprus.

Cyprus has been a great venue for cheap holidays in the past few years and this weekend, many classic car fans will be pleased to take advantage of the cheap hotels as they celebrate a classic annual event.

From 11th to 13th July, the Historic Car Rally will be taking place on the island, which will make a very different weekend break in the sunshine-soaked country.

According to VisitEurope.com:

“Historic rallying is the fastest growing side of motor sport and is an excellent introduction for people contemplating motor sport for the first time.”

Classic car motorists will be driving their cars through the mountains and the four largest Cypriot towns, exploring the island in style.  It will make a great sight for onlookers.

The festivitied will commence in Nicolia at the Jaguar showroom.  The procession will travel through Paphos, Limassol and Larnaca and returning to Nicosia.

Cyprus has much to offer at any time of year with its traditional village life, ancient sites including medieval castles and for those seeking relaxation, there are many golden beaches set against a backdrop of rugged mountains.

Flights to Cyprus are available from most UK airports.