Cape Verde Islands News
Here is some of the latest news from the Cape Verde Islands:
11/07/06 - New Boa Vista International Airport in 2006
Starting the second half of 2006, boa Vista will have its own International Airport. The expansion works at the airport will last 15 months. Once the works are concluded, Boa Vista will be able to receive direct flights from Europe, using aircrafts such as the Airbus A320 and A321 and Boeing 737, 757 and 767, making the island more attractive and competitive as a tourism destination.
The engineering project for the Boa Vista International Airport includes strengthening the runway pavement, its expansion in length to 2,100 meters and in width to 45 meters, construction of an aircraft parking lot and room for aircraft circulation and maneuvers, based on the critical aircraft of reference 4D as well as the construction of a passenger terminal and associated facilities.
The project also includes the provision of fire-fighting, rescue and salvaging facilities and means, realignment of the Rabit - Sal Rei road, c a control tower, the runaway lighting system and visual landing assistance system, as well as security equipment such as hand luggage and cargo X-ray machines and metal detectors, in addition to changes in the configuration of the security Network for the airport perimeter.
Estimated to cost 16 million 594 thousand Euros, the International Airport of Boa Vista is a public-private investment in the Portuguese bank 'Banco Espiruto Santo' and is being executed by MSF under the supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transportation - MIT, in ASA and with oversight being ensured by the Spanish project firm INECO.
The airport model developed is based on a phased growth perspective for the current structures at the Boa Vista Airport, bearing in mind the different scenarios for capacity demand defined in the Island's Strategic Development Plan, which places tourism as a fundamental anchor of growth for the island, in other words, tourism is the sector that will generate more income, a more competitive business fabric, more investments and new services.
08/07/06 - ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM OF PRAIA ORGANIZES EXHIBITION
The old Regional Centre of Craft of Praia has hosted, since December, the largest exhibition on museology ever held in Cape Verde. This exhibition, promoted by the Museum Nucleus of Praia, does not just limit itself to ethnographic and everyday life objects, but it also includes some important underwater pieces, such as gold, silver and bronze coins, cannons, navigation instruments, and jewels among others. Aspecial shop window with a gold crucifix and font of the XVI century are the main pieces of the exhibition, which is divided into three sections, namely, ethnographic, underwater and of incidentally found articles.
San Pedro Village, estimated at 30 million euros, is a new tourist enterprise, under construction at Santo André, in São Vicente Island. The construction is planned to be completed within five years, and is located beside the Foya Branca Hotel. It is comprised of two parts; the first is a holiday village, consisting of 95 cottages, 120 apartments, two single family houses, stores, restaurants and areas for the practice of several sport activities; the second is a hotel - Dom Pedro Hotel which is made up of 38 suites and 90 rooms. The Belgian Mark Boyekens, one of the mentors of the project, has assured that, when the project is concluded, the owners intend to employ more than 300 people permanently and hundreds of other jobs will be created through cultural, commercial and tourist activities and water sports.
05/07/06 - The Largest Hotel in Cape Verde Starts Operation
The Boa Vista Resort Hotel, the largest hotel in Cape Verde and, probably, on the whole West African coast, started operating in mid December, with the arrival of tourists, mainly from Italy.Estimated at about 25 million euros and located in the paradisiacal beach of Chave, The Boa Vista Resort Hotel, is planned to have 850 beds. However, in this first phase, it makes available 500 beds, while the remaining 250 are to be implemented from July of 2006.
Water and electric will be supplied by the hotel private generator. This tourist enterprise will also have its own purification centre. This is just part of the project aiming at the development of agriculture through water treatment in a land space located at the back of the hotel.
Some species that will compose the green area of the hotel have already been ordered directly from Arizona, USA, a state that has a hot dry climate, very similar to Boa Vista's, and plants that can grow with salty water. The provisioning of the hotel with all kinds of products, including foodstuff, will be totally ensured by the Tour Operator, by air. The company possesses an airline, but in order to operate on the Island, it needs to access the international airport, which is under construction. The Boa Vista is about seven kilometres from Sal Rei Town and belongs to EuroturIstica, a Capeverdian company whose partners have already made some investments in other countries such the Canary Islands, Greece, Egypt, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, among others.