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Sal Island has firmly maintained its crown as Cape Verde’s leading tourist destination, according to fresh data released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), which tracks trends in the archipelago’s hospitality sector.
In the first quarter of 2025, Sal welcomed 56.9% of all tourists visiting Cape Verde, far outpacing Boa Vista, which received 21.6% of the influx.
Santiago came in third with 8.1%, followed by São Vicente (6.3%) and Santo Antão (5%).
The remaining islands — Brava, Fogo, Maio, and São Nicolau — together accounted for just 2.2% of arrivals.
Sal also dominated in terms of overnight stays, capturing 57.7% of the total, while Boa Vista followed with 32.7%. Santiago (3.8%), São Vicente (2.9%), and Santo Antão (1.9%) trailed behind.
The combined share of overnight stays on the lesser-frequented islands stood at just 1.0%.
Guest numbers jumped from 303,298 in Q1 of 2024 to 325,135 in the same period of 2025 — an increase of 21,837 visitors, or 7.2%. Compared to 2019, the sector welcomed 91,414 more guests.
Overnight stays surged as well, rising from 1,523,785 in Q1 of 2024 to 1,657,403 in Q1 of 2025 — an 8.8% uptick or 133,618 more nights.
The average length of stay also climbed, from 4.7 to 5.0 nights per tourist.
Demand was heavily concentrated in the hotel sector, which accounted for 79.6% of all overnight stays. Apartment hotels followed with 12.3% of guests and 11.8% of stays.
Smaller lodgings like guesthouses made up a minor portion — 4.4%, 2.4%, and 1.0%, respectively.
The United Kingdom emerged as the top international market, with British tourists favoring Sal (54.5%) and Boa Vista (44.9%) for their stays. A striking 79.0% of their overnight stays were in hotels.
French visitors also showed a clear preference for Sal (44.3%), with Boa Vista (30.7%) ranking second. Santiago and Santo Antão each drew 7.7% of France’s tourist market.
