Parts of Cape Verde have been hit with a crime wave as tourists have been attacked and mugged.
The Foreign Office is also advising tourists about an increase in burglaries on the two most popular holiday island destinations of Sal and Boa Vista.
The islands off the coast of Africa are being touted as a “safe” destination by tour operators.
But UK tourists are being warned they face violent muggers or sexual predators and holidaymakers are being told to ‘remain alert at all times’.
UK tourists are being warned about visiting top new holiday destination Cape Verde after a several robberies and sexual attacks.
The islands are also very popular with honeymooners but latest UK NHS Health advice says it has “high risk” of Zika and is warning couples not to get pregnant during their visit or for TWO months afterwards.
The holiday destination has become the centre of a crime wave with tourists being attacked and mugged leading to the Foreign Office to put out a warning.
Inspite of the publicity given about Cape Verde by tour operators,it is still a poor country with visible poverty all round.
Tourists, with all their money and high value gadgets are seen as easy prey. There are a string of dangers lying in wait.
As well as sex attacks the Foreign Office is also advising tourists about an increase in burglaries on the two most popular holiday island destinations of Sal and Boa Vista, which are promoted as safe destinations by tour operators for families and couples as tourists flee traditional European destinations such as France and Greece for fear of terrorism.
Instead of facing a terror attacks, tourists could face violent robberies or rape and official advice to UK citizens is to remain alert at all times.
Cape Verde hotels have also suffered from food poisoning and illness such as Salmonella; which can leave people with life-long complications.
We have seen a rise in couples falling ill and also honeymooners. Just because it looks great on the brochure doesn’t mean it will always live up to this in reality.
Latest figures from the National Statistics Institute revealed Cape Verde has become popular with Britons.
The majority of tourists visiting the islands are now from the UK and the islands saw a 13.6 rise in visitor numbers in 2016 compared to the previous year.
But with this new found popularity comes a dark underbelly and the Foreign Office has updated its travel advice pages to reflect this ongoing crime wave on the Archipelago.
There has been a significant increase in crime in Praia, as well as an increase in burglaries and violent muggings on the main tourist islands of Sal and Boa Vista.”
The pages also warned of spate of sexual assaults and warned tourists to “take precautions" when walking on the popular tourist beaches of Prai De Estoril , Prai de Chaves and Santa Monica.
In 2007 the dunes on the popular island of Sal were the site of a horrific double rape and murder of two Italian female tourists.
They were raped and killed by two local men.
The Foreign Office is also warning tourists to avoid gangs of children without adults who are known to be pickpockets and purse snatchers and to be wary of buying property as many Britons had run into “serious problems.”
That perfect getaway may quickly turn out to be a holiday from hell. Always check with the Foreign Office website and your tour operator before you travel. If you do get in trouble contact the nearest Embassy.
Boa Vista
Boa Vista is Portuguese meaning “good view”. This is the easternmost island of Cape Verde. It is located in the Barlavento group of the archipelago.
The island is known for marine turtles and traditional music, as well as its ultramarathon and its sand dunes and beaches. The island also constitutes the municipality of Boa Vista, which has two parishes, Santa Isabel and Sao Joao Baptista.
With an area of 620 square kilometres (240 square miles), it is the third largest island, after Santo Antao and Santiago. It is 455 kilometres (283 miles) west of the coast of Africa. Much of the island is flat. The highest point on the island is Monte Estancia, elevation 387 metres (1,270 feet); other mountains include Santo António (Saint Anthony), Rocha Estância, Monte Negro (Black Mountain), Monte Caçador, Pico Forcado and Monte Vigia.
Other features include Campo da Serra. Its main town is Sal Rei, its ferry port and home to Boa Vista's airport (Rabil Airport)on the northwest side of the island.
Surrounding islets include Ilheu de Sal Rei featuring a lighthouse in the west, others include Ilhéu de Curral Velho in the south and Ilheu do Baluarte featuring the easternmost point in Cape Verde, they are one of five islands that have a surrounding islet or more in Cape Verde. Points include Ponta Antonia to the north as well as Ponta do Sol and Ponta Varandinha, the island's westernmost point.
The island has the most number of long beaches in the nation but not overall, they include Atalanta, Cabral, Chave, Ervatao, Gatas, Santa Monica and Varandinha.
Its economy was originally based on agriculture, but desertification led to salt collection becoming more important. Its main industries today are date farming and, increasingly, tourism, with already several touristic establishments being built in recent times. As of July 2015, the island boasts the highest income per capita [i.e., US$8819,00] in the island nation.
Boa Vista has a college (colegio), a middle school, high school, churches, beaches, large hotels and a port which underwent expansion in the early to mid 2010s. Other hotels and villas had popped up in the west and south of the island, hotels and villas popped up in around 2004 west of Rabil and in 2009 in Curral Velho and connected them with newly paved roads.
Sal Island
Sal,Portuguese for salt from the mines at Pedra de Lume, is an island in Cape Verde. It belongs to the northern group of islands, called Barlavento or windwards, and comprises a single administrative division, the Sal municipality. The island is home to Amílcar Cabral International Airport, the main airport of Cape Verde.
The island was discovered on December 3, 1460 and named Llana until salt deposits were found at the end of the 18th century in Pedra de Lume. In the early years, slaves grazed parts of the island, in the 17th century, free settlers took salt. Sal is the geologically oldest island in Cape Verde, formed 50 million years ago during the eruption of a volcano which is now inactive.
Salt activity was not active until 1800. Sal at the time was the leastly populated island in Cape Verde, once had around or the same as Santa Luzia. Santa Maria was founded in the south in 1835 by Manuel António Martins who became governor and became the island capital, the salt industry thrived, in its early years 30,000 tons of salt were exported.
Most of the salt was exported to Brazil until its nationalization in 1887, Portuguese and French salt investors resumed salt production until 1984. Three lighthouses were constructed at the island's extreme points in the 1880s.
An airport first constructed by Italy started construction in 1939 to receive flights to Europe and South America, construction was halted in around 1940 during World War II and continuation ceased, the Portuguese bought the airport from the Italians and finished the rest in 1949, planes from Italy would offer a stopover flight for refueling planes for flights with South American cities.
Northeast of the airport, workers from Sao Nicolau Island to the west would settle a village and was named Preguiça, where the first settlers originated and the youngest urban center in Cape Verde, Palmeira was later founded and became the island's other port, not long after it became Espargos due to the asparagus plants founded there and became the main island capital as well as a commercial center, a part of the population growth even to the present continue to arrive from Sao Nicolau.
Unlike other parts of Cape Verde, famine did not devastate the island as the population was only about 500 in 1930 and one of some islands up to 1970 that the population continued to grow. Farmlands were established around 2 km northwest of Espargos in the mid 20th century.
A new solar electricity station was established in around 2010 and located 1.5 km north of Santa Maria on the main road, the first and only in Cape Verde. A large growing population has now led to the division of the municipality, it was first plan on April 7, 2014, no date of the separation has been set.
It would form the municipalities of Espargos and Santa Maria, the municipal boundary would be marked north of Ilheu Rabe de Junco, north of Murdeira and south of the airport, probably in the east-west line, also Nossa Senhora das Dores will exclude Santa Maria.
Hurricane Fred struck the island of Sal in late summer 2015, the hardest was on August 31, in Santa Maria, his storm surge sunk or stranded dozens of vessels and destroyed an important tourist pier.
Hotels, restaurants, and other beach facilities were flooded, and roads in the town became impassable. High winds leveled the roof of a sport center at a gymnasium which had initially been set up as a storm shelter to about 100 citizens. Elsewhere, the hurricane knocked out power to homes in Palmeira and caused minor structural damage to Sal International Airport.
Sal’s main town, Cidade dos Espargos, is home to one of the nation’s international airports and has around 32,000 inhabitants. Its population grew around salt collection and later shifted to fishing, but is now based on tourism,amounting to 50% of the archipelago’s tourism at the beach resort of Santa Maria. The living standards on the island is among the best in the Cape Verde archipelago. The island's GDP per capita is roughly US$7068,00.
Its airport, Amílcar Cabral International Airport, was used as a refuelling base by South African Airways on its Johannesburg to London routes. This was necessitated by the refusal of Black African states to the North to grant overflying permission and direct routing to and from Europe during apartheid.
Later, flights to and from New York and Atlanta also refuelled there, and the island was a crew-change station. SAA established the long runways needed by the fully fueled Boeing 747s on their take-offs in the high temperatures. On July 1, 2006, SAA operated its final flight to Sal due to the ending of its flights to Atlanta.
Saline marshes can be found in the Pedra de Lume crater and north of Santa Maria.
Tourism, Travel, Hospitality, Conservation: News,Stories And Experiences From Allover The World
Showing posts with label Praia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Praia. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 May 2017
Monday, 1 May 2017
AFRICA: Getting Set For Carnival Season
Africa's many carnivals are not the most internationally known, but Cape Verde, Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique carnivals have long traditions. Newcomer Seychelles this year offers a tourism-adapted carnival.
Mindelo on Cape Verde's lush São Vicente island so far has been the most known and maybe most spectacular carnival in Africa. Preparations on the island are on the highest gear: On 8 March, the 2011 Mindelo carnival kicks off.
The Mindelo carnival offers a Brazil-like atmosphere, in a relaxed African setting. Outfits and stages follow the Brazilian model, while the music is truly indigenous. Low criminality rates, perfect weather and temperature conditions and unlimited hospitality further contribute to the Mindelo carnival's top ratings and reputation.
Mindelo on São Vicente is not the only carnival in Cape Verde, but it is certainly the most known and spectacular. For years, it has been the top destination for the enormous Cape Verdean Diaspora, travelling to the event year after year. Only slowly, international tourists are discovering this major celebration, which started already in the 18th century.
Cape Verde's capital Praia is also organising a major carnival at the same time, in sharp competition with Mindelo. Also the Praia carnival is lively, colourful and authentic and - by distance - the greatest annual event in the otherwise rather sleepy city. Most travellers, so far, however prefer the Mindelo carnival to the one in Praia.
Close to Cape Verde, on the African mainland, impoverished and chronically unstable Guinea-Bissau also has a once-a-year occasion to forget the problems haunting the country and its population. Poverty makes the Bissau carnival smaller than the Mindelo carnival, but not any less exotic, with different ethnicities wearing their traditional attire.
In Bissau, this year's four-day carnival kicks off on 5 March. "People dress up in various different manners and disguise themselves wearing traditional attire and masks," reported the SOS Children's Village in Bissau, which let its children participate in the festivities. A special "children's carnival" is held every year in the capital and in Bafata.
Further south, Angola's booming capital Luanda is seeing its age-old carnival growing each year, with city and national authorities increasingly sponsoring the event. The Luanda carnival organisation committee this year reported to have a budget of US$ 400,000 and the provincial government has declared its aim of making Luanda Africa's number one carnival destination.
Large competitions are arranged, for the best musical carnival hit, the best attire and the most beautiful girl. The organisation committee seeks to create a "balance between the traditional and the modern" as it prepared the city for the 5 to 8 March carnival, with large parades to run through central Luanda. Also a children's carnival is planned for 5 March.
In Maputo, the capital Mozambique, yet another Portuguese speaking country, there are also carnival traditions, although public parades play a smaller role here. Carnival is Maputo is mostly celebrated in bars, discotheques or in private arrangements.
The Mozambican city of Quelimane, located 1,800 kilometres north of the capital, is rather the place to go for traditional carnival festivities with a very African touch. The Quelimane carnival is the most known and spectacular in Mozambique, attracting many visitors.
This year's carnival in Quelimane was however held already in mid-February. Residents and visitors this year had the poorest luck as extraordinarily heavy rains washed away the main parade and outdoor activities.
With carnivals in Africa mostly being a tradition brought by Portuguese settlers and kept alive in Portuguese speaking countries, other African cities and towns lately have been organising carnival-like events, mostly following initiatives from tourism authorities.
City authorities in South Africa's Johannesburg for some years have arranged the "Joburg Carnival" on New Year's Evening.
A more serious competitor, however, is Seychelles; a prime tourist destination in the Indian Ocean. This year, from 4 to 6 March, the Seychellois capital Victoria hosted its first-ever international carnival, with invited guests and starts - including Dionne Warwick and Grace Barbé - from all over the world.
The Seychelles Tourism Board, a key organiser, promises to make an annual high-level event of the Victoria carnival, with colourful tropical parades, an international up-market flair and a show-off of the islands' cultural diversity. "It is a carnival for the world, and it is a carnival where the world is invited to be represented with their own respective carnival floats to showcase their strengths and their culture," according to Alain St Ange of the tourist board.
With Seychelles onboard, Africa this year truly presents the whole range of carnivals, fit for any taste; from the exotic traditionalist Bissau carnival, to the unlimited celebrations of Cape Verde, via the African-modern mix carnival of Luanda to the upmarket Victoria newcomer.
Mindelo on Cape Verde's lush São Vicente island so far has been the most known and maybe most spectacular carnival in Africa. Preparations on the island are on the highest gear: On 8 March, the 2011 Mindelo carnival kicks off.
The Mindelo carnival offers a Brazil-like atmosphere, in a relaxed African setting. Outfits and stages follow the Brazilian model, while the music is truly indigenous. Low criminality rates, perfect weather and temperature conditions and unlimited hospitality further contribute to the Mindelo carnival's top ratings and reputation.
Mindelo on São Vicente is not the only carnival in Cape Verde, but it is certainly the most known and spectacular. For years, it has been the top destination for the enormous Cape Verdean Diaspora, travelling to the event year after year. Only slowly, international tourists are discovering this major celebration, which started already in the 18th century.
Cape Verde's capital Praia is also organising a major carnival at the same time, in sharp competition with Mindelo. Also the Praia carnival is lively, colourful and authentic and - by distance - the greatest annual event in the otherwise rather sleepy city. Most travellers, so far, however prefer the Mindelo carnival to the one in Praia.
Close to Cape Verde, on the African mainland, impoverished and chronically unstable Guinea-Bissau also has a once-a-year occasion to forget the problems haunting the country and its population. Poverty makes the Bissau carnival smaller than the Mindelo carnival, but not any less exotic, with different ethnicities wearing their traditional attire.
In Bissau, this year's four-day carnival kicks off on 5 March. "People dress up in various different manners and disguise themselves wearing traditional attire and masks," reported the SOS Children's Village in Bissau, which let its children participate in the festivities. A special "children's carnival" is held every year in the capital and in Bafata.
Further south, Angola's booming capital Luanda is seeing its age-old carnival growing each year, with city and national authorities increasingly sponsoring the event. The Luanda carnival organisation committee this year reported to have a budget of US$ 400,000 and the provincial government has declared its aim of making Luanda Africa's number one carnival destination.
Large competitions are arranged, for the best musical carnival hit, the best attire and the most beautiful girl. The organisation committee seeks to create a "balance between the traditional and the modern" as it prepared the city for the 5 to 8 March carnival, with large parades to run through central Luanda. Also a children's carnival is planned for 5 March.
In Maputo, the capital Mozambique, yet another Portuguese speaking country, there are also carnival traditions, although public parades play a smaller role here. Carnival is Maputo is mostly celebrated in bars, discotheques or in private arrangements.
The Mozambican city of Quelimane, located 1,800 kilometres north of the capital, is rather the place to go for traditional carnival festivities with a very African touch. The Quelimane carnival is the most known and spectacular in Mozambique, attracting many visitors.
This year's carnival in Quelimane was however held already in mid-February. Residents and visitors this year had the poorest luck as extraordinarily heavy rains washed away the main parade and outdoor activities.
With carnivals in Africa mostly being a tradition brought by Portuguese settlers and kept alive in Portuguese speaking countries, other African cities and towns lately have been organising carnival-like events, mostly following initiatives from tourism authorities.
City authorities in South Africa's Johannesburg for some years have arranged the "Joburg Carnival" on New Year's Evening.
A more serious competitor, however, is Seychelles; a prime tourist destination in the Indian Ocean. This year, from 4 to 6 March, the Seychellois capital Victoria hosted its first-ever international carnival, with invited guests and starts - including Dionne Warwick and Grace Barbé - from all over the world.
The Seychelles Tourism Board, a key organiser, promises to make an annual high-level event of the Victoria carnival, with colourful tropical parades, an international up-market flair and a show-off of the islands' cultural diversity. "It is a carnival for the world, and it is a carnival where the world is invited to be represented with their own respective carnival floats to showcase their strengths and their culture," according to Alain St Ange of the tourist board.
With Seychelles onboard, Africa this year truly presents the whole range of carnivals, fit for any taste; from the exotic traditionalist Bissau carnival, to the unlimited celebrations of Cape Verde, via the African-modern mix carnival of Luanda to the upmarket Victoria newcomer.
Saturday, 19 September 2015
CAPE VERDE: Tourists Flock to Cape Verde in 2015
Cape Verde's National Statistics Institute (INE) reported a 2% annual increase in visitor numbers in the first half of 2015, putting the country on target for a bumper year for tourism.
In the first six months of the year, more than 278,000 visitors arrived on the beautiful archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa, attracted by its fabulous beaches known as jumping-off points for wind sports and a great location for diving among shipwrecks.
During the second quarter, Cape Verde hosted 116,200 tourists representing a 4.8% increase on the same period of 2014, despite the country's relatively under-developed tourism infrastructure. Overnight stays the first six months increased 3.5% to almost 1.8 million with hotels remaining the most popular type of accommodation for 87.3% of visitors to the tiny archipelago nation.
The data reveals that the second quarter of the year saw mostly British tourists arriving in Cape Verde, representing around 25% of international visitors. Brits holidayed for an average stay of 9 days, with the island of Sal as the most popular resort location, accounting for around 46% of overnight stays in hotel establishments.
Cape Verde is a former Portuguese colony and maintains close links with Portugal and the Eurozone. Special partnership status has been granted by the EU and in 2008 Cape Verde joined the World Trade Organisation. The country has improved significantly to achieve economic stability with plenty of potential for further growth, particularly through its tourist sector.
The country's democracy is one of Africa's most stable and Cape Verde was officially removed from the United Nations' list of Least Developed Countries in December 2007. The country's outlook has never been better according to the World Bank, recently reporting that 'good governance, sound macroeconomic management, trade openness and increased integration into the global economy, as well as the adoption of effective social development policies underpinned an impressive development trajectory'.
Around half of Cape Verde's 482,000 population lives on the biggest island, Santiago which is home to the capital city, Praia. Tourism is mostly concentrated on the island of Sal which has the country's only international airport one of 2 international airports capable of receiving charter flights from Europe. New and bigger international airports are scheduled to be opened in Santiago, San Vicente and Boa Vista, boosting residential property prices in those areas.
Almost every habitable island of the archipelago has new development in construction. Capital values are consequently rising by 10%-15% annually and yet property in Cape Verde is still very much a bargain at around €1,200-€1,650/m².
Despite the recent rise in visitor numbers, Cape Verde remains largely undiscovered to international travellers, despite its unique cultural vibe and breathtaking beauty. Data from the INE from 1997 shows that 45,000 visitor arrivals were recorded for the year compared with more than 500,000 expected in 2015, illustrating the country's massive rise in popularity among international travellers over the years.
Consequently, the archipelago has been overlooked by property investors and the market for holiday rentals is almost non-existent. A studio unit in popular Santa Maria is currently priced at around €81,000 which would offer a yield in the region of 8%-9%, according to local realtors.
The ten archipelago islands of Cape Verde are clustered 280 miles off the coast of Africa, approximately one hour south of the Canary Islands. Notable for its vibrant blend of Portuguese and African cultures the country is also blessed with long stretches of fine white sandy beaches and an all year round perfect temperature of between 25 and 34 degrees.
With booming tourism and discounted real estate, it won't be long before investors zoom in on Cape Verde's bountiful property market. For investors seeking a lower entry level property purchase, there are investment opportunities in the country's hotel sector currently attracting interest among buyers of income generating assets, starting from as little as €10,000.
In the first six months of the year, more than 278,000 visitors arrived on the beautiful archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa, attracted by its fabulous beaches known as jumping-off points for wind sports and a great location for diving among shipwrecks.
During the second quarter, Cape Verde hosted 116,200 tourists representing a 4.8% increase on the same period of 2014, despite the country's relatively under-developed tourism infrastructure. Overnight stays the first six months increased 3.5% to almost 1.8 million with hotels remaining the most popular type of accommodation for 87.3% of visitors to the tiny archipelago nation.
The data reveals that the second quarter of the year saw mostly British tourists arriving in Cape Verde, representing around 25% of international visitors. Brits holidayed for an average stay of 9 days, with the island of Sal as the most popular resort location, accounting for around 46% of overnight stays in hotel establishments.
Cape Verde is a former Portuguese colony and maintains close links with Portugal and the Eurozone. Special partnership status has been granted by the EU and in 2008 Cape Verde joined the World Trade Organisation. The country has improved significantly to achieve economic stability with plenty of potential for further growth, particularly through its tourist sector.
The country's democracy is one of Africa's most stable and Cape Verde was officially removed from the United Nations' list of Least Developed Countries in December 2007. The country's outlook has never been better according to the World Bank, recently reporting that 'good governance, sound macroeconomic management, trade openness and increased integration into the global economy, as well as the adoption of effective social development policies underpinned an impressive development trajectory'.
Around half of Cape Verde's 482,000 population lives on the biggest island, Santiago which is home to the capital city, Praia. Tourism is mostly concentrated on the island of Sal which has the country's only international airport one of 2 international airports capable of receiving charter flights from Europe. New and bigger international airports are scheduled to be opened in Santiago, San Vicente and Boa Vista, boosting residential property prices in those areas.
Almost every habitable island of the archipelago has new development in construction. Capital values are consequently rising by 10%-15% annually and yet property in Cape Verde is still very much a bargain at around €1,200-€1,650/m².
Despite the recent rise in visitor numbers, Cape Verde remains largely undiscovered to international travellers, despite its unique cultural vibe and breathtaking beauty. Data from the INE from 1997 shows that 45,000 visitor arrivals were recorded for the year compared with more than 500,000 expected in 2015, illustrating the country's massive rise in popularity among international travellers over the years.
Consequently, the archipelago has been overlooked by property investors and the market for holiday rentals is almost non-existent. A studio unit in popular Santa Maria is currently priced at around €81,000 which would offer a yield in the region of 8%-9%, according to local realtors.
The ten archipelago islands of Cape Verde are clustered 280 miles off the coast of Africa, approximately one hour south of the Canary Islands. Notable for its vibrant blend of Portuguese and African cultures the country is also blessed with long stretches of fine white sandy beaches and an all year round perfect temperature of between 25 and 34 degrees.
With booming tourism and discounted real estate, it won't be long before investors zoom in on Cape Verde's bountiful property market. For investors seeking a lower entry level property purchase, there are investment opportunities in the country's hotel sector currently attracting interest among buyers of income generating assets, starting from as little as €10,000.
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
QATAR: Qatar Completes Inter-line Agreement With Air Maroc
The inter-line agreement with Air Maroc will take effect from tomorrow, connecting the two carrier routes between Qatar and Morocco on Royal Air Maroc operation across West Africa.
Passenger can now book single itinerary connecting Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc with one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in.
Qatar Airways travellers travelling to Casablanca will now be able to connect onto the West African cities of Cotonou, Ouagadougou, Praia, Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, Abidjan, Libreville, Banjul, Conakry, Bissau, Monrovia, Bamako, Niamey, Lagos, Nouakchott, Freetown and Lomé.
Passengers will also be able to travel onwards to Marrakech within Morocco, Agadir, Tangier, Guelmime, Tan Tan, Tetouan, Al Hoceima, Fes, Errachidia, Oujda, Nador, Ouarzazate, Zagora, Laayounte, Dakhla and Beni Mellal.
Royal Air Maroc will launch its thrice-weekly B787 operation to Doha on September 9,
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “The launch of this codeshare agreement with Royal Air Maroc is great news for our business passengers who frequently travel on Qatar Airways, as they will be able to connect seamlessly onwards to almost 20 destinations across the West African region.”
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