As the world largest resort based hotelier, Melia Hotels International are a key strategic partner for The Resort Group and the commercial success of our resort.  Recent figures released by Melia Hotel International highlight their financial growth and increased presence in the global market. The outlook for Melia is very strong as they continue to see growth in a number of areas and further enhance their reputation on a global scale:

• 2011 revenues increased by 6.8% and EBITDA* increased by 4.5%
• Revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased again with 7 consecutive quarters of growth, achieving an increase of 9% overall in 2011
• They have an active pipeline of 31 hotels and added 20 hotels (5,056 rooms) in 2011, approximately one new hotel every three weeks. The company currently has 354 hotels (in operation or in the pipeline).
• 2.5 million Members of its "mas" rewards loyalty programme. Members generated 22% of room sales for the year. Plus, half a million Facebook fans worldwide (only Hilton have more)

*Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation

Further good news from the Islands comes from figures published by HomeAway.co.uk, a holiday rentals company. They have revealed that Cape Verde entered its list of the top ten most popular holiday destinations for the first time in 2011, which is expected to further enhance the reputation of the islands for property investment.

According to the firm, an increase in the number of charter flights to Cape Verde, as well as a growing market for package holidays, have helped boost its tourism industry.

Regional director for HomeAway UK Andy Cockburn explained these factors could all result in more investors buying real estate in Cape Verde, as well as other hotspots like Dubai and Florida.

"For those looking for an alternative to Europe for property investment, these mid to long-haul markets provide good opportunities. Not only can properties at attractive prices still be found, but they have strong rental potential too," he stated.

Passenger traffic at Cape Verde’s airports and aerodromes rose 11.2 percent year on year in 2011, from 1.6 million to 1.78 million, the country’s airport management company, Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Segurança (Asa) said in Praia. According to the published figures, international traffic rose by 20.8 percent whilst domestic traffic rose by 2.8 percent.

This highlights the increasing number of visitors to the islands and the ongoing trend of increased tourism.

At Amilcar Cabral Airport, Thomsonfly was the airline that carried most international passengers and transported 75,000 passengers to Sal Island, followed by TAP – Air Portugal (69,000) and Cape Verdean airline TACV (55,000).