Cape Verde vs The Gambia; two West African countries locked in battle for tourist dollar - part two

When one thinks of West Africa it is rarely in connection with vacations - especially beach holidays, and certainly not upmarket ones.

But the region contains two countries: one a tiny crop of mainland surrounded by another country with a small but highly attractive coastline (The Gambia), and the other a wide-ranging archipelago to the west of it in the Atlantic Ocean. Both have benefitted hugely from mass tourism.

They both register 20%-25% of their GDP arising from that tourism. And both got started around the same time, in the late 1950s, with The Gambia initially racing ahead thanks to the foresight of a Swedish entrepreneur.

Cape Verde was slower out of the blocks but has clawed its way back, and then ahead, in the past two and a half decades, to become one of Africa's leading vacation destinations.

There are numerous factors that have influenced the rise and fall of both, including particularly the performance of the national carrier and that of foreign airlines serving them. Also, latterly, the decision in one case to let the private sector run its airports, while in the other it is still the responsibility of a government department.

Right now it is hard to argue against Cape Verde having the upper hand, but both countries rely on visitors from First World countries that face ever tougher economic challenges ahead and the vagaries of political relations.

Indeed, as if to underline how hard it can be to estimate demand, as this report was written The Gambia achieved 46% tourist growth in Jul-2025 - by far the highest figure in the whole of Africa.

This is part two of a two-part report.