São Tomé and Príncipe received over 34,900 tourists in 2019, which was an increase of 4.5% year-on-year, said the director-general of Tourism and Hospitality, Hugo Menezes.

The data shows that the largest number of tourists came from Portugal, with 15,900 people or 45% of the total, followed by Angola with 3,100 and approximately 8.9%, France with 2,400 and approximately 6.7%, as well as Germany, the United States, and China with lower percentages.

Exemption of entry visas in the archipelago for some countries, an increase in the number of flights to and from São Tomé, as well as the promotion of the country abroad are pointed out as factors that drove an increase in tourists in the last 12 months.

The São Tomé Minister for Tourism, Culture, Trade, and Industry, Maria da Graça Lavres, said that “tourism has been growing gradually in recent years,” in São Tomé and Príncipe.

The minister said she wanted, “tourism to continue to grow with positive impacts on our society, both improving the quality of tourism offerings as well as in the field of promotion of the destination.”