afrol News, 16 December - The construction of the largest tourist complex ever to be built in Cape Verde, the Santiago Golf Resort, this week was re-launched as fresh capital was assured from a Portuguese company and private Cape Verdean business interest. The project's total costs equal two annual government budgets.

The Portuguese group Sacramento Campos this week announced that constructions on the Santiago Golf Resort were to be re-launched as new capital was raised for the project. Sacramento Campos contributed with 75 percent of the fresh funds while the local businessman Eugénio Inocêncio contributed with the remaining 25 percent.

The first stage of the giant project was already launched in 1999 and has been finished. The Santiago Golf Resort has a total budget of euro 550 million, roughly the double of Cape Verde's annual government budget. It is mainly financed by Portuguese businesses and also the construction is handled by Portugal's MARPE.

The Santiago Golf Resort will totally change the face of Cape Verde as a tourism destination when it is inaugurated in eighteen months, according to existing plans. Charter tourism to Cape Verde is still limited and mainly concentrated to holiday resorts on the island of Sal, where the archipelago's only international airport is located.

The larger and greener island of Santiago, where also the capital Praia is located, so far has experienced little tourism. New investments will change this. The constructors of the Santiago Golf Resort have achieved major government investments in infrastructure, including an early opening of the new Praia international airport and the construction of a new station of residual water treatment in Praia.

The new resort in itself will be of a new size order regarding tourism development in Cape Verde. Located only a few kilometres away from Praia, the new airport and the charming Cidade Velha (Old Town), the Santiago Golf Resort will cover 1000 hectares when it stands ready in mid-2006.

The complex is to include five hotels, an urbanisation of 3000 holiday apartments for sale, a shopping centre, a hospital, a golf resort, swimming pools, a casino, discotheques, tennis fields and restaurants. The seaside of the complex is to include a marina with the capacity of 200 boats, two beaches, an Atlantic swimming pool and a seaside promenade with restaurants.

According to Cape Verdean authorities, the complex is a major investment in the future of tourism for the archipelago. Tourism and fisheries have been pointed out as the two economic sectors with the greatest potential of raising living standards and fighting poverty in the island nation.

By staff writers

© afrol News

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