The Republic of Cabo Verde accelerates tourism growth: new hotels, stronger air links and an expanding offer are changing the image of the Atlantic archipelago
In recent years, the Republic of Cabo Verde has been increasingly clearly positioning itself as one of the more dynamic island destinations on the wider European tourism market. The Atlantic archipelago, located off the west coast of Africa, has long attracted guests seeking sun, sea and a stable climate for most of the year, but the latest data indicate that tourism there no longer relies only on the classic beach holiday model. Alongside the growth in visitor numbers, the increasing interest of investors and the expansion of air connections to European markets, Cabo Verde is trying to strengthen its position as a destination that can combine holidays, culture, nature and the urban experience of different islands.
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics of Cabo Verde, hotel establishments in the country welcomed 1,177,467 guests during 2024, which is an increase of 16.5 percent compared with the previous year. The same statistical review states that the estimated number of tourists reached 981,354, which is the highest recorded value in the series so far and an increase of 11.8 percent compared with 2023. These indicators are important not only because they confirm recovery after pandemic-related disruptions, but also because they suggest that tourism in this island state is returning to the path of long-term expansion. For a country in which tourism is one of the main pillars of the economy, such a result means a stronger inflow of revenue, greater investor interest and additional pressure on infrastructure development.
Record figures and an ever broader visitor base
The growth of tourist traffic in Cabo Verde is not based on just one market niche. Although sunny holidays and resorts still play a very important role, official data show that this is a destination that is becoming increasingly visible in several European source markets at the same time. In the statistics for 2024, the United Kingdom once again stands out as the main market from which the largest number of guests arrives, which is not surprising given the strong presence of British tour operators and the high recognition of the islands of Sal and Boa Vista among travellers looking for a winter and year-round sunny destination. At the same time, the interest of European guests is no longer tied exclusively to “sun and sea” packages, but also to active holidays, local gastronomy, music, hiking trails and the specific creole identity of the islands.
It is precisely this diversity that is one of the reasons why Cabo Verde has in recent years been mentioned more often as a destination that can outgrow its own image of a classic resort market. The country’s official tourism portal emphasises that each island offers a different experience, from beaches and water sports to hiking routes, historic towns and cultural content. Sal and Boa Vista remain the strongest symbols of holidays by the ocean, while São Vicente is especially associated with music, the cultural scene and the city of Mindelo, and Santo Antão with nature, mountains and trekking. Such positioning is important because it broadens the profile of the guest the country is addressing: not only families and package travellers, but also individual visitors, nature lovers, nomads seeking a longer stay and travellers with higher purchasing power.
Data for 2024 also show that the island of Sal remains by far the most sought-after, with 58.5 percent of total guest arrivals in hotel establishments at the national level. This confirms that Sal remains the central point of the country’s tourism model, primarily thanks to its beaches, large resorts and good connections with Western European markets. At the same time, however, such a concentration of traffic also raises the question of more balanced development of the other islands. If the state wants to increase revenue in the long term, reduce seasonality and ease the burden on the most crowded destinations, it will need to continue investing in transport connectivity, accommodation and the promotion of islands that for now attract a smaller, but increasingly interested, circle of visitors.
New accommodation capacities and a signal to investors
The expansion of tourism demand is also accompanied by a change on the supply side. Alongside already established all-inclusive complexes, space is opening up on the market for hotels targeting a different guest profile: travellers interested in a combination of holidays, local experience, business facilities and shorter urban stays. In this context, the entry of Marriott International into the Cabo Verde market is particularly symbolic. Marriott’s platform currently lists Four Points by Sheraton São Vicente Resort in Cabo Verde, making one of the world’s largest hotel chains formally present in this island state as well.
According to data published on the hotel’s official website, Four Points by Sheraton São Vicente Resort is located above Laginha Beach in Mindelo and has 127 rooms and suites, along with a rooftop bar, beach club, pool, restaurant, spa, fitness centre and event spaces. The choice of location itself says a great deal about the direction in which tourism there wants to develop. Mindelo on the island of São Vicente is not exclusively a resort zone, but a city of strong musical and cultural recognition, and an important transport and social hub of the country. The arrival of a globally known hotel brand is therefore more than an ordinary expansion of accommodation capacity: it is a message to investors that the archipelago is no longer interesting only as a market for large package holiday resorts, but also as a space for internationally branded hotels that can connect leisure and urban tourism.
Such projects usually have broader effects than the number of rooms alone. The entry of large chains affects service standards, the level of workforce training, demand for local suppliers and the visibility of the destination in global sales channels. For smaller island economies this is especially important because international hotel networks bring them into reservation systems, loyalty programmes and corporate guest networks that local hoteliers often find more difficult to access on their own. On the other hand, the strengthening of international brands also raises the question of preserving the balance between foreign capital and local identity, especially in a country that is increasingly strongly marketed in tourism precisely through authenticity, music, creole culture and the social concept of “morabeza”, that is, the warmth and hospitality of the hosts.
Air connectivity is becoming a key lever of development
For an island state such as Cabo Verde, air connectivity is not only a technical transport issue, but the foundation of the entire tourism model. Without enough routes, competitive prices and reliable connections, there can be no serious market expansion. The last two years are therefore important because they show that changes are taking place precisely in this field that can increase the attractiveness of the destination in the long term. One of the most noticeable examples is easyJet’s route between London Gatwick and the island of Sal. The British carrier announced that it launched the first such route on 31 March 2025, with three flights a week. For easyJet, this was also its first destination in sub-Saharan Africa from the United Kingdom, which further shows that Cabo Verde has entered the focus of carriers seeking markets with growing demand for year-round “sun and beach” holidays.
The importance of such routes goes beyond the British market alone. When a low-cost or major European carrier opens a new route to an island destination, the effect also spills over into market perception, package holiday prices, the availability of individual travel and the interest of other companies. Cabo Verde thus becomes more visible to travellers who may previously not have seriously considered this archipelago, whether because of the price or because of lower recognition. The country’s official tourism portal points out in this regard that international flights from different parts of the world arrive on the islands every day and that there are efficient connections to the other islands, which is important for travellers who want to combine several destinations within the same trip.
An additional signal also comes from the data of the company VINCI Airports, which manages airports in Cabo Verde. In a statement published after the completion of modernisation works, it says that since taking over management in 2023 there has been a noticeable strengthening of connectivity, with passenger traffic growth of 60 percent between 2022 and 2025 and the opening of 35 new air routes, of which 15 during 2024 and 20 during 2025. Such data show that transport infrastructure is not passively following tourism growth, but is actively encouraging it. The wider the network of flights, the greater the room for manoeuvre for hoteliers, tour operators and local authorities that want to attract guests from different countries and reduce dependence on a few dominant markets.
Between resorts, culture and natural assets
Although the story of air routes and investments is key, tourism growth would not be sustainable if there were not also clear content that could be offered to the visitor. This is precisely where Cabo Verde is trying to build a broader and more mature destination story. The official Visit Cabo Verde portal highlights the combination of gastronomy, nature, music and creole culture as the foundation of the country’s identity. This is important because in the global market island destinations no longer compete only through climate and hotel supply; they also compete through experience. A traveller choosing between the Canaries, Madeira, the Caribbean, North Africa or Atlantic archipelagos is increasingly looking for an experience that has a recognisable cultural stamp.
In that sense, Cabo Verde has several clear advantages. The first is geographical diversity. While some islands target exclusively beach holidays, others rely on mountains, volcanic landscapes, local villages, fishing tradition and hiking routes. The second is cultural distinctiveness, especially in the music and urban life of Mindelo, which is often mentioned as one of the liveliest cultural centres of the archipelago. The third is the relative year-round stability of the weather, which gives the destination an advantage in periods when European travellers are looking for an escape from winter or want to travel outside the peak summer season.
Yet the combination of these advantages also brings development challenges. If the country relies too heavily on the resort model, it risks leaving part of the offer tied to a limited number of islands and large foreign operators. If, however, it wants to promote diversity more strongly, it must invest in inter-island links, local services, the quality of smaller accommodation establishments and the promotion of content that is not as easy to sell as classic package holidays. That is why the growth in the number of hotels and the arrival of international chains make full sense only if they are accompanied by investments in broader destination infrastructure, from airports and ports to public services, employee training and spatial preservation.
What the record results mean for the future of the archipelago
The latest figures suggest that Cabo Verde is entering a phase in which tourism is no longer just a sector of recovery, but a sector of new positioning. A record almost 1.18 million guests in hotel establishments and more than 981 thousand estimated tourists in 2024 show that interest in the destination is growing at a time when competition among sunny island markets is exceptionally strong. Marriott’s entry through the Four Points by Sheraton São Vicente Resort hotel further strengthens the perception that the archipelago is becoming a more serious investment market, while the expansion of air links, including easyJet’s route from Gatwick and the strengthening of the route network under VINCI Airports management, increases its accessibility to European guests.
For the authorities and the tourism sector, the key question now is whether they will manage to turn that momentum into sustainable development. This means maintaining growth, but also avoiding excessive dependence on one type of accommodation, one market or one island. It also means preserving what is making Cabo Verde increasingly attractive: the sense of authenticity, the differences among the islands and the blend of African, Portuguese and Atlantic influences that is hard to replicate on the global tourism market. If it succeeds in that, the archipelago could in the coming years further strengthen its status as a destination that is interesting not only because of postcard-perfect beaches, but also because it offers a broader, more layered and increasingly accessible travel experience.
Sources:- National Institute of Statistics of Cabo Verde – official statistics on guest movements and tourists in 2024 (link)- National Institute of Statistics of Cabo Verde – overview of publications and tourism statistics, including the inventory of hotel establishments for 2024 (link)- Marriott Bonvoy – official page of the Four Points by Sheraton São Vicente Resort hotel with a description of the property and capacities (link)- Marriott Bonvoy – overview of Marriott Group hotels in Cabo Verde (link)- easyJet Media Centre – announcement of the launch of the London Gatwick – Sal route from 31 March 2025 and flight frequency (link)- VINCI Airports – statement on the modernisation of airports in Cabo Verde and strengthening connectivity through new routes (link)- Visit Cabo Verde – official tourism portal on the identity of the destination, the islands and types of experiences (link)
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