Tourism prices in Cabo Verde rose 7.5% in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to data released on Wednesday, 21 October, by the archipelago’s National Statistics Institute (INE). The increase covered accommodation, restaurants and car rental, while entertainment and culture prices remained unchanged.

According to the Tourist Price Index (IPT), the year-on-year rate accelerated by four percentage points relative to the second quarter, when it stood at 3.5%. On a quarterly basis, prices rose 5.2%, driven primarily by the accommodation segment.

The category grouping hotels, cafés and restaurants posted an annual increase of 7.5%, though with variation across activities. Restaurant prices rose 1.9%, while cafés, bars and similar establishments recorded a 0.5% increase.

Within accommodation, all categories surveyed became more expensive. Guesthouses (pousadas) recorded the steepest rise at 11.4%, followed by hotels at 10.1% and residential lodgings at 6.5%. Apartment-hotels posted a 4.2% increase, pensions 3.8%, and tourist villages 3.2%.

Among the islands covered by the accommodation and restaurant price survey, Boa Vista recorded the largest year-on-year increase at 8.6%, followed by São Vicente at 7.5%, Santo Antão at 7%, Sal at 6.3%, and Santiago at 3%.

Car rental prices were 6.4% higher than in the third quarter of 2025. By contrast, entertainment and cultural services recorded no price changes during the period.

Tourism is one of Cabo Verde’s principal sources of economic wealth, accounting for roughly 25% of gross domestic product (GDP). Activity is concentrated primarily on the islands of Sal and Boa Vista, the archipelago’s main tourist destinations.

In 2025, the country recorded approximately 1.25 million guest arrivals at hotel establishments, a record figure that reinforced the sector’s weight in the national economy.

The IPT tracks price movements for a basket of goods and services representative of tourist expenditure in Cabo Verde, enabling comparisons between quarters and against the same period of the previous year.