The Cabo Verde Tourism Awards 2017
The Cabo Verde Tourism Awards 2017 took place on the 30th September, an event that honoured the best tourism achievements in the last year through a series of Excellence Awards.
There was a variety of categories, designed to promote the achievements of the diverse tourism offering on the Island of Sal, and specifically in the Santa Maria area:
- Excellence: Hotel
- Excellence: Aparthotel
- Excellence: Resort
- Excellence: Rural Accommodation
- Excellence: Restoration
- Excellence: Travel Agencies
- Excellence: International Airlines
- International Excellence: Tourism
- National Media Excellence: Best Tourism for Cape Verde
- Excellence: Global Annual Marketing Program
- Excellence: Tourist Animation
- Excellence: Top Model (in relationship with Cape Verde Fashion Week 2017)
- Excellence: Tourist Offering
- Excellence: Music Brand Tourism
- Excellence: Tourism Region
- Excellence: Development Project Tourism of the Year
- Excellence: Project for Sustainable Tourism
- Excellence in Innovation
It began at 7pm with a red-carpet entrance and a welcome reception for guests, with VIP attendees in their own private enclosure. Later, while guests enjoyed a Cape Verde-inspired meal, the reporters conducted flash interviews with the experts gathered there. The ceremony was then opened to the public and the Excellence Award Ceremony commenced with live performances taking place throughout the evening. The after party was a luxurious and celebratory event at Bikini Beach Club with special guests making the night complete.
Collecting nine awards in total, including the ones celebrating the best Hotel, Aparthotel and Resort, the Meliá Hotels were the big winners of the evening. Mr Santiago of MELIÃ Tortuga Beach Resort, said: “We were proud to receive these awards that make the Mélia group’s career in this very short Cape Verde life.”
MELIÃ Dunas Beach Resort & Spa
Gold for Excellence: Aparthotel
Gold for Excellence: Tourist Offering
Gold for Excellence: Resort
MELIÃ Llana Beach Resort & Spa
Platinum for Excellence in Innovation
Platinum for Excellence: Resort
Silver for Excellence: Aparthotel
TUI Sensimar Cabo Verde
Gold for Excellence in Innovation
MELIÃ Tortuga Beach Resort
Gold for Excellence: Project for Sustainable Tourism
Silver for Excellence: Hotel
As well as sponsoring the event, The Resort Group PLC was also presented with a special recognition award by the organisers of the Cabo Verde Tourism Awards. Rob Jarrett commented: “I’m very proud of what The Resort Group has achieved here on Sal Island and what we are now doing on Boa Vista. This award represents all the ways we promote tourism to Cape Verde, something we’ve seen increase significantly in the last decade. It’s a proud moment for our operational resorts too, with nine well-deserved awards between them.”
The gala is set to be an annual event to match the celebrations on World Tourism Day. Director General of Tourism, Carlos Anjos commented, “The criteria used were essentially linked to the celebration of this year, which was declared as the year of sustainable tourism. We were careful to choose a jury that also took these criteria into consideration. I think we are all to be congratulated and that all the winners are satisfied and thrilled with the prizes received.”
The much-anticipated awards ceremony was broadcast on television and online, in order to have the highest possible visibility. It should translate into better performance and even higher quality within the industry, as well as an increase of tourists and an improvement to sustainability and tourism innovation.
For more information about Cape Verde tourism and how The Resort Group PLC has an active role in its development, get in touch with the team today.