The National Union of Tourist Operators (Unotur), which last week officially became the Cape Verde Chamber of Tourism, has announced the program of its III International Tourism Encounter, slated to take place in October.

The theme of the 2007 edition of the event, which will take place in the Hotel Crioula on the island of Sal between October 3 and 5, is “Tourism in Cape Verde, from vision to reality: Shortening Distances,” and will consist of six panel discussions touching on themes such as the sustainability of the tourist industry, the image of Cape Verde as a tourist destination that should be promoted abroad, and trends in the international tourism market.

The meeting will also be used to discuss information gathered in the intermediary meetings that have been held throughout the course of the past twelve months on various different islands.

The 3rd edition of the International Tourism Encounter will feature a number of innovations, including a trade fair-like event with dozens of businesses and organizations from Cape Verde and abroad.

The Encounter will be attended by some two hundred delegates from all of Cape Verde’s islands and Cape Verdean communities in various different countries, as well as a number of international business operators involved in tourism and real-estate-related activities on the islands.

It is estimated the island of Sal will register a total of more than 200,000 foreign tourists over the course of 2007, coming mainly from Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium and other mainly European countries.

Source: A Semana