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News: Cape Verde buzzing

Tue, 28 Aug 07

Analysts believe that Cape Verde is destined for big things in the near future...

The introduction of direct flights from the UK will prove to be a huge boon to the Cape Verde tourist trade, the economy as a whole and the pocket of the overseas investor, according to consultants at Buy Association.

Direct flights to the region were first introduced in November last year and these should encourage tourist numbers to increase "quite significantly over the next few years", overseas property expert Paul Collins has predicted.

He explains: "This year is the first summer season when there have been direct flights from the UK going out to Cape Verde, the first season where it has been really easy to get there. We certainly would expect to see tourist numbers increasing quite significantly over the next few years.

"Anyone buying a property now is likely to be able to benefit from that," he predicted.

Opening up interest

According to Mr Collins, the increased accessibility has really opened up interest in the property market in Cape Verde. He says that holidays and property investment, combined with low-cost flights and the destinations they are reaching, have fundamentally changed the way that we travel.

He expects that many people "will now look more at where they can get a cheap flight to and then they'll decide where to go on holiday, rather than the other way round".

Data from another UK based international property analyst, Jet2Let, indicates that Cape Verde has become something of a fashionable destination since the direct flights from the UK were introduced.

The islands are a five-and-a-half hour flight from London and there are signs that they are replacing the Maldives - which are 13-and-a-half hours away - in terms of popularity. This is reflected in the records of Destination Cape Verde, which show that tourist arrivals to the islands are growing at a rate of 22 per cent.

A buzz about the island

Cape Verde is expected to be playing host to a benchmark figure of one million tourists a year by 2015, a Destination Cape Verde spokesman said.

Cape Verde's own National Statistics Institute recorded a 26.4 per cent rise in the number of tourists in 2006 and one local tour operator has noticed the increase in the number of British visitors.

Jenny Adams of The Cape Verde Experience said there has been "a buzz about the islands for the last year, as Cape Verde continues to be the must-visit destination".

Source: http://www.assetz.co.uk (press release)

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