Cape Verde and TUI collaborate to enhance tourism for social and economic development
Memorandum of understanding signed to strengthen Cape Verde’s tourism sector and promote sustainability, in partnership with TUI
The Government of Cape Verde, in partnership with TUI Group and TUI Care Foundation, has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) titled “Tourism for Development.” This agreement signifies a significant step towards harnessing the power of tourism for positive social and economic impact in Cape Verde.
The MoU was signed during a two-day work meeting between the Government of Cape Verde and the TUI Group Executive Committee, led by Prime Minister Ulisses Correira e Silva and CEO Sebastian Ebel, on the picturesque island of Sal.
The MoU encompasses a wide range of 18 key issues, including renewable energy, environmental protection, local entrepreneurship empowerment, cultural heritage protection, and education. By intensifying collaboration, the signatories aim to strengthen the tourism sector on Cape Verde’s islands, contributing to sustainable development.
Minister for Tourism and Transport, Mr Carlos Jorge Duarte Santos, Sebastian Ebel, CEO of TUI Group, and Thomas Ellerbeck, Chairman of the Board of TUI Care Foundation, were among the key signatories of the agreement.
With a shared vision to unlock the immense tourism potential of Cape Verde, the signatories will closely cooperate and invest in the further development of the sector. Their collective objective is to create a more sustainable and diversified tourism industry that benefits local communities economically and socially. The agreement places particular emphasis on generating local added value, protecting the environment, fostering innovation through partnerships, and enhancing the overall Cape Verdean tourism experience.
Notably, the signatories are committed to evaluating and expanding the utilisation of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen power to increase energy independence and reduce the carbon footprint of the tourism sector across the islands.
Over the past decades, tourism has emerged as the primary driver of Cape Verde’s economy. In less than two decades, the country has successfully built a thriving tourism sector, with TUI playing a vital role as a long-standing partner.
The company’s portfolio of eight hotels, featuring renowned brands like RIU, Robinson, and TUI BLUE on Sal and Boa Vista islands, offers more than 10,000 beds to guests. Additionally, it operates the largest airline service to Cape Verde, providing year-round flights and offering nearly 2,000 flights per year. The company’s cruise ships also make regular calls at Cape Verdean ports during the winter season.
Cape Verde holds a special place in the focus of the TUI Care Foundation, an independent organisation actively involved in the archipelago since its establishment in 2016. Recognising the pivotal role of education and job training for youth empowerment, the TUI Care Foundation’s TUI Academy on Sal creates new opportunities for young people.
The foundation also supports local agriculture initiatives, tackling the challenges posed by the region’s climate conditions. Through innovative methods introduced under the TUI Field to Fork programme, local fruit and vegetable production has been promoted.
Additionally, the foundation has long been engaged in protecting endangered turtles on the islands. Looking ahead, the TUI Care Foundation has ambitious plans to expand its portfolio in Cape Verde, with a particular focus on supporting small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, preserving local heritage and culture, and announcing new initiatives in the coming months.
The Memorandum of Understanding covers a wide range of strategic topics crucial for tourism development in Cape Verde. These include intensified tourism relations, increased technical cooperation, development and dynamisation of the tourism sector, promotion of Cape Verde as an outstanding tourism destination, strengthening the Cape Verdean airline sector, fostering innovation and technology, protecting nature and the environment, reducing resource consumption, promoting renewable energy, providing environmental education and sustainable tourism practices, offering vocational training in tourism, encouraging investments, implementing effective economic policies, intensifying local partnerships, promoting local entrepreneurship, safeguarding local cultural heritage and traditions, collaborating with the Cape Verdean diaspora, and prioritising housing sustainability.
With the signing of this MoU, Cape Verde and TUI demonstrate their shared commitment to harnessing tourism’s potential for the greater good, ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth while preserving the archipelago’s unique cultural and natural heritage.
