Number of tourists increases 10.3% in the first quarter

According to INE’s statistics of tourism and guest movement, in the first quarter of 2018, 20,186 tourists arrived in Cape Verde more than in the same period last year, corresponding to an increase of 10.3%.

The overnight stays also increased in the first three months of the year, by 10.6%, corresponding to 1,342,553, and in absolute terms represents a further 129,208 overnight stays.

INE concluded that in the first quarter of the year, the United Kingdom was the main emitter of tourists to Cape Verde, with 20% of the total entries, followed by Germany (12.4%), France (12.2%) and the Netherlands (12.4%). The United Kingdom continued with 26.9% of all overnight stays, followed by the Netherlands (12.3%), Germany (11.6%) and France (9.8%).

Visitors from the United Kingdom were the ones with the longest average stay in Cape Verde in the quarter under review, with 7.6 nights, followed by Italy (6.5) and Germany (5.6%). Resident Cape Verdeans remained on average 3.1 nights in hotel establishments, according to the statistics institute.

According to INE data, the island of Sal received more than half (51.8%) of the tourists who visited Cape Verde, followed by Boavista Island (23.9%) and Santiago (11%).

In the first quarter of 2018, hotels continued to be the most sought after, accounting for 85.2%, with residential hotels (4.3%) and pensions and tourist villages being 3.3% each.

During the first quarter of 2018, the INE found that the average rate of bed occupancy in Cape Verde was 62%, with Boavista island being more occupied (81%), followed by Sal (73%) Santo Antão ( 31%) and São Vicente with a rate of 30%.

Source: Expresso das Ilhas