Tourism in Cape Verde, a group of islands off the coast of Senegal, West Africa, started in the 1970s on the island of Sal and increased slowly in the 1980s and 1990s.

Overview

Tourism contributed US$41 million to the country's economy in the year 2000. The hotel industry contributed 2.0% to GDP in 1997, which increased to 6.8% in 2001. The number of tourists increased from approximately 45,000 in 1997 to more than 115,000 in 2001 and to over 765,000 in 2018 according to the Cape Verdean statistics bureau. Most of these international arrivals came from the United Kingdom (23.6%), Germany (11.2%), the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

(i.e., The Netherlands and Belgium), France, Portugal, Italy, and other countries. Less than one percent of tourists came from the United States. The vast majority of tourists visit the comparatively flat and less populated islands of Sal, Boa Vista, and Maio with their white sandy beaches. The islands of Cape Verde have a pleasant climate during most of the year with 350 days of sunshine, and some of them offer an impressive mountain scenery as well. Diving, windsurfing, sailing and trekking are available to tourists. Some ecotourism is developing on the islands of São Nicolau, Santiago and Boa Vista. For tourists interested in cultural topics, the town of

Cidade Velha Cidade Velha (Portuguese for "old city", also: ''Santiago de Cabo Verde'') is a city Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

was declared a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

by UNESCO in 1997, but cultural tourism has not been particularly promoted up to now. The visa policy of Cape Verde requires visas for tourists from most of the world. Recently however, a visa exemption for European Union citizens, citizens of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and citizens of European countries outside the Schengen Area, has been implemented and took effect on 1 January 2019.

Statistics

Most guests in tourist accommodation establishments, by country of residence, in 2015:

References

Bibliography

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tourism In Cape Verde Cape Verde