The Prime Minister of Cabo Verde, Ulisses Correia e Silva, stated on Friday 16th February that Cabo Verde’s new tourism brand, launched matches the country’s ambition to transform each island into a genuine, differentiating and an authentic tourist destination.
“The genuine, differentiating and an authentic tourist destination makes Cabo Verde unique for its people, its nature, its culture, and its history.
“Therefore, I would like to congratulate the work done. Until it reaches this point”, said Ulisses se Correia e Silva, Prime Minister of Cabo Verde.
The Prime Minister made the statement while presiding over the launch of Cape Verde’s new tourist brand, a ceremony, which held at the Fortaleza Real de S. Filipe, in Cidade Velha, a location chosen for the symbolism it represents.
The new tourism brand, represented by a heart with bright colors depicting the 10 islands of Cape Verde and whose ambassador is the artist Dino d’Santiago, is the identity that captures the diversity of the islands and promotes the country as a tourist destination, symbolizing the morabeza, origin, history, culture and authenticity of the Cabo Verdean people.
“It seems like they are mere drawings, but the important thing is the meaning, strength, message and the narrative it carries”, explained the Prime Minister. He recalled the difficult periods from 2020 to 2022, caused by the covid-19 pandemic, and also the opportunities and a different perspective the crisis provoked.
Ulisses Correia e Silva highlighted that Cabo Verde has an identity forged through a history of more than 500 years, a Creole identity, a vast diaspora, open to the world, which appears to be its greatest distinguishing factor.
The focus now must be on endogenous resources and the quality that requires continuous investment and diversification of the destination, so that it is not just sun and beaches.
“We have sun and beach tourism that still has room to develop with quality. We will continue to invest in sun and beach tourism, but we have other tourism to discover in terms of nature, culture, and various events. Each island presents itself in a different and diverse way,” he noted.
He also recalled that several investments have been made, especially urban and environmental reconfiguration, restoration and rehabilitation of historical, religious and cultural heritage and reviving the history within the heritages.
He also spoke about the liberation of localities, many with tourist, agricultural and fishing potential, tourist signs, the tourist villages program and everything to make Cape Verdean cities and villages attractive for people to live, visit and invest.
If there were doubts about the impact of tourism as an economic activity, he noted that the doubts were dispelled with the covid-19 pandemic when airports closed, the number of tourists dropped drastically and there was a return.
“There was an impact not only in terms of employment, but also in reducing poverty”, he said, stressing that each tourist paid 2.5 euros per day, money that is being used to improve people’s living conditions.
Ulisses Correia e Silva also warned of the need to put quality in everything, from when tourists arrive until they leave so that they can return and recommend the country to others.
The above is a task he admitted that it is not easy, especially when it comes to tourism outside the resorts. In this sense, he challenged the presidents of municipal councils and professionals and the communities to ensure quality in everything they do.
Cabo Verde’s new tourism brand aims to strengthen the destination’s image, capture new market niches that are increasingly aware of the quality of the tourism product and interested in living environmentally sustainable experiences, in communion with local communities and in which Cabo Verdean families and companies -Verdianas can also be actors in the value chain.
