Real Estate & Other News in Cape Verde from Propertyshowrooms.com

Emerging markets 'promoted by property exhibitions'

Sat, 2 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Live property exhibitions have helped to fuel interest in emerging markets among UK-based property buyers, according to an expert.

Darren Styles, chief executive of A Place in the Sun Live, stated that less-established locations across the world have been heavily promoted at live events.

As a result, more and more people have become aware of the potential they offer, triggering additional interest in the market.

Mr Styles highlighted Cape Verde as an example of one country which has benefited from this development.

Indeed, the west African archipelago was recently as the tenth-most popular investment market among Britons by A Place in the Sun magazine.

Mr Styles commented: "We've broken whole new destinations - Cape Verde, for instance - and delivered a broad, multi-layered exhibition that has brought in thousands of new buyers from the mass market."

He added that the A Place in the Sun brand has "championed" the virtues of foreign property ownership to a very wide audience.

Cape Verde 'is a property hotspot'

Thu, 5 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Cape Verde is becoming more and more popular with second home buyers from overseas, analysts have stated.

According to property experts NuBricks.com, the west African nation has become an "overseas property hotspot" in recent years.

The website said this is partially due to efforts to boost tourism in the country, as this has created a variety of investment opportunities in different areas.

However, it said Cape Verde's regulatory system has also helped make it attractive to foreign buyers.

Chintan Mahida, a spokesperson for NuBricks.com, observed: "In simple terms, the laws of Cape Verde do not differentiate between foreign investors and local businesses, offering a level of security and rights."

He added that this level of protection is missing in many other developing nations across the world.

According to the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development, Cape Verde's economy grew by 6.6 per cent last year.

Figures cited by MacauHub show that it is expecting this rate of growth to increase to 7.6 per cent in 2008.

Extra Cape Verde flights to be introduced

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A media report has revealed that transport links between mainland Europe and Cape Verde could be stepped up.

According to A Semana, TAP Air Portugal will offer passage between Lisbon and Praia seven days a week.

The carrier began providing direct flights between the two cities in October 2007, although the service currently operates four times a week.

Luiz Mor, spokesperson for TAP, commented: "We’re going to begin incentive programs - electing Cape Verde as the destination of the month."

This, he stated, would form part of a greater effort to increase tourism in Africa.

According to figures from the airline, the number of passengers that TAP has transported to African countries went up by a quarter last month, making it a highly lucrative location for the carrier.

This also suggests that Africa's tourist market is expanding at a considerable rate, which will be a positive development for rental investors in places such as Cape Verde.

According to Sarah Brown from NuBricks.com, accessibility improvements have led to the country attracting a record number of foreign visitors.

More Flights to Cape Verde

Mon, 2 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Due to the further expansion of international flights to the Cape Verde Islands Germany, Denmark and UK will now have easy access to the islands. The three new weekly flights from Europe mean yet further economic investment in the islands, including an increase in tourist numbers from Europe. These extra weekly flights, from Germany, Great Britain and Denmark have been confirmed by Hapagfly, Thompson’s and Startour and are set to begin over the next year. Meanwhile, direct flights from the UK are expected by spring 2007 and from Ireland in the summer.

Tourist figures presented to the Cape Verdean government show that visitors to the islands have increased four-fold over the past five years, with around 230,000 tourists from all over the world now choosing to take their holidays on the archipelago.

Cape Verde is five and a half hours journey time from the UK and approximately six hours from Ireland - half the time it takes to get from Northern Europe to the Caribbean! Currently you can get to Cape Verde via direct flights from France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Scandinavia.

TACV route into Paris

Thu, 8 Jun 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Cape Verde To Tighten Links With London

Fri, 6 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

“People are friendly and easy to get along with,” “the food is superb and fresh, especially for those who like fish,” “the country is safe with few incidents of theft or violence,” “the temperature is warm and sunny all year round,” and “the country’s unique music plays an important role in Cape Verdean culture.”
These are some of the opinions expressed by English tourists published on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s website and that point toward Cape Verde as one of the preferred destinations for British tourists in 2006. The Cape Verdean government hopes to jump on this bandwagon, and has begun diligences to strengthen political relations with the United Kingdom.
If in 2004 Cape Verde welcomed a total of some 1,000 English tourists, the perspectives for the coming year could hardly be better. According to the BBC site, the archipelago is “the next tourist hotspot.” Meanwhile, the first British-funded tourist installations in the country have begun to spring up on the islands of Santiago and Sal, and a direct flight between Praia and Birmingham is currently in the planning stage.
According to the BBC, Cape Verde is likely to become one of the prime destinations for British tourists in 2006. “The islands’ diversity is one of the attractions, as one can choose between beaches, cultural holidays and leisure. And the country wants to attract tourism,” says the site, which also highlights diving, deep-sea fishing and windsurfing as some of the activities practiced on the islands, and suggests trips to the volcano on Fogo, the beautiful beaches of Sal and Boa Vista and the historical sites of Santiago.
This investment is Cape Verde is confirmed by the Cape Verdean consul in London, John Robert, in whose view “there is a feverish desire to visit Cape Verde in the United Kingdom and Ireland that is spreading like wildfire.” Roberto says that the consulate seeks to assist British and Irish nationals wishing to visit the archipelago, and the consul himself has traveled to Cape Verde accompanied by investors from the two countries interested in the Cape Verdean market.
Apparently even greater than the English interest in the islands, however, is the Cape Verdean government’s desire to intensify relations with the United Kingdom. With this in mind, Cape Verde’s ambassador to the European Union, Fernando Whanon Ferreira, is expected to travel to London in the near future for contacts with British authorities. Despite the English presence in Cape Verde in the past, particularly on the island of São Vicente, relations between Praia and London have always been formal and limited to the accreditation of the British ambassador in Dakar. With the interest expressed by English investors, however, this could soon change.
According to a source contacted by A Semana’s economic supplement Cifrão, Praia has been in discussions with Great Britain’s State Secretary for International Development, Hillary Ben, expressing “the Cape Verdean government’s great interest in strengthening political and cooperative ties with the United Kingdom.”
The archipelago also hopes to take advantage of “Great Britain’s support while it holds the European Union presidency for the special status Cape Verde hopes to attain from Brussels and in the fight for security and against drug trafficking.” Another important element is Cape Verde’s rapprochement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in which the United Kingdom plays a major role.
The same source also believes that the renewed interest on the part of British investors in Cape Verde, particularly in the tourist sector, will contribute toward the country’s economic development.
Political relations between Praia and London cooled in the 1980s during the Falkland Islands War. At the time, the United Kingdom hoped to use Cape Verde as an advanced base in its war with Argentina for the sparsely populated Falkland Islands, a proposal that was rejected by Praia.
English investment
Sambala Village, which is owned by an English group called Sambala Development, is so far the largest British investment in Cape Verde. Located in São Francisco, near one of the most paradisiacal beaches on the island of Santiago, Sambala Village is budgeted at some 30 million euros. The first phase of the development is projected to be completed by November 2006. All of the residencies in the complex have already been sold to English investors, many of whom have already made their way to Cape Verde to get a first-hand look at the progress. Perspectives also seem to be good on Sal, with English interested in investing in the island and negotiating the construction of hotels and residences in the Ponta Preta zone. Sal real-estate company Alibella has, according to representative Ivana Falazoni, sold various houses and apartments to British and Irish citizens.
Article Source: A Semana

Another flight route announced into Cape Verde

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 10:07:00 GMT

The projected growth of tourism in Cape Verde has had another boost as Portuguese airline Air Luxor will, beginning Sunday, November 13, offer a biweekly Lisbon-Praia-Lisbon flight.

The Portuguese company will operate using an Airbus 320 with a total passenger capacity of 150, thus joining TACV Cabo Verde Airlines and Air Senegal in providing international services from the recently-opened Praia International Airport.

Astregilda Almeida of Air Luxor Cabo Verde justifies the new flight with the need to strengthen the airline’s ties with the Cape Verdean market. The company already has an agency operating at the Praia airport, and expects to open a branch in Praia’s central Plateau district in the near future.

In addition to its current charter flights between Lisbon and Sal, the company now intends to “provide assistance to business traffic operators in Praia,” according to Almeida.

Air Luxor’s inaugural flight to Praia will carry on board the group’s president, Paulo Mircuri, Air Luxor Cabo Verde vice president Simões Coelho, as well as official entities, guests and passengers, who will be received in the Praia airport’s VIP lounge by a batuko group and a number of other Cape Verdean artists. In the evening a concert will take place, followed by a dinner at one of Praia’s hotels. News provided by www.Caboverde24.com

Government forecasts 7% GDP growth for 2005

Sun, 30 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Cape Verde’s Gross Domestic Product is expected to register growth of approximately 7% in 2005, according to government forecasts. The Cape Verdean executive estimates that the 2005 State Budget will undergo an adjustment of more than 3 billion escudos thanks to the funds from the Millennium Challenge Account, which entered state coffers on October 19. “The budget execution rate is good, standing at about 50%. This is why we believe that we can accelerate the pace of the execution of activities from the rectified budget to arrive at the end of the year with a GDP growth rate of approximately 7%,” announced Finance and Planning Minister João Serra. The Budget Rectification proposal will be submitted to the National Assembly on Monday, October 23. Among the investments called for within the framework of the Millennium Challenge Account are the construction of roads on the islands of Santiago (linking Órgãos to Pedra Badejo, Cruz Grande to Calheta, Volta do Monte to Ribeira Prata, Fundura to Figueira das Naus, Assomada to Porto Rincão and Fonte Lima to João Bernardo) and Santo Antão and the initiation of studies for the modernization of Praia’s sea port and the promotion of the private sector in the country. Recent conversations between the Minister of Finances and Planning and the Arab Economic Development Bank in Washington also resulted in a donation of US$ 22 million for the construction of the Fogo highway ring, according to Serra.

Cape Verde tourism growing 25% annually

Fri, 2 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT

A Semana / afrol News, 21 June - The number of tourists entering Cape Verde has grown an average of 25 percent per year over the past four years. From 67,000 tourists in 2000, the figure jumped to 178,000 in 2004. These were some of the numbers announced by Cape Verde's Minister of the Economy, Growth and Competitiveness, João Pereira Silva, at the Intermunicipal Tourism Conference held recently on São Vicente. In his speech at the conference, which was promoted by Unotur, Pereira Silva presented data from the World Tourism Organisation, comparing them with the development of the tourism sector in Cape Verde. Revenues, according to the Minister, grew 20 percent per year between 2000 and 2004, with totals jumping from 5 billion to 10 billion escudos (45 to 90 million euros). - The data related to the growth of the sector in Cape Verde supports all of the trends described by the World Tourism Organisation's studies and forecasts regarding the importance of tourism in developing economies, particularly in small island nations, stressed the Cape Verdean Minister. Cape Verde's business sector also merited the attention of Minister Pereira Silva, who called for the removal of barriers limiting access to credit in the sector. In Mr Pereira Silva's view, "the creation of public-private partnerships present in the tourist development corporations was the best solution encountered" for the stalemate in the elaboration of a Territorial Ordering Plan, as well as other zoning management instruments. The government and the private sector of Cape Verde have invested large sums in tourism infrastructure for the sub-tropical archipelago during the last decade. Tourism is still mostly confined to the island of Sal, which houses the country's only large international airport equipped to receive charter flights from Europe. A new and bigger airport is soon to be opened close to the capital Praia on the island of Santiago. Around Praia, large-scale tourism projects are already being developed, copying the successes of the nearby Spanish Canary Islands. With the new international airport in Praia, Cape Verde hopes to open up even more islands to charter tourism from Europe and that the tourism sector continues to grow for the next decade. In its long-term plans to fight poverty and increase economic growth, the Cape Verdean government together with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has defined two sectors of special attention and opportunity. These are the successful tourism sector and the fisheries sector. The largest challenge regarding further tourism developments is the Sahelian archipelago's scarcity of water. © A Semana / afrol News

Cabo Verde: The new Canary Islands

Fri, 19 Aug 2005 16:38:00 GMT

Cabo Verde or Cape Verde has attracted he attention of the Irish and is being promoted across the board as the New Canary Islands.

With many experts predicting it will become the next big holiday destination for the United Kingdom and Northern European markets. Cape Verde provides excellent opportunities for investors seeking substantial capital growth over the next few years.

The country is rich in natural beauty, history and culture.”

Article from Cabo Verde Online.

Propertyshowrooms.com offers many properties in Cape Verde and provides a wealth of information in the Cape Verde Guide.

European Parliament opens possibility of special partnership with Cape Verde

Sun, 23 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

The European Parliament yesterday afternoon approved a resolution regarding the European Neighborhood Policy, which could make it possible for Cape Verde to obtain a special status alongside the European Union.
The resolution not only approves the new European Neighborhood Policy, but also extends its application “to the island States of the Atlantic, neighbors of the European Union’s ultra-peripheral regions adjacent to the European continent.” In this case, the ultra-peripheral regions of the Atlantic are the Canary Islands (Spain), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal) and Cape Verde, the only independent State among the island groups.
But the application of this policy may only occur, according to the terms of the resolution, “when particular issues of geographic proximity, cultural and historical affinity and mutual security can prove to be relevant to the European Union.”
These two aspects were introduced into the resolution following intensive lobbying by Portuguese euro-deputies, including Ana Gomes and José Ribeiro e Castro.
According to Ribeiro e Castro’s vote explanation, “Cape Verde has shown exemplary performance in terms of democracy, good governance and respect for human rights, and has profound historical, social, political, cultural and geographic affinities with the European Union.” And these affinities, continued the Portuguese deputy in the European Parliament, make Cape Verde “a privileged and exceptional platform for the development and strengthening of Euro-African relations and a factor of stability and security along one of the flanks of the European space.”
Luxembourg has offered to host the forum “European Union / Cape Verde: the challenges of the future,” which will be organized with the support of the European Commission, before the end of this year.
The issue of a partnership or special statute between Praia and Brussels has been taken up by both of the two main political forces disputing Cape Verde’s legislative elections on Sunday, the PAICV and the MpD. The MpD, which has criticized the way Prime Minister José Maria Neves and his government have managed the question, promises to carry out the strategy “with the discretion necessary in matters of foreign policy in an issue that is of particular relevance to the country.”
Source: A Semana