Portuguese company Oásis Atlantico plans to invest 57 million euros in a new tourism and real estate project, Salinas Resort, in Cape Verde, the company’s real estate director said Tuesday in Lisbon.

Speaking to Portuguese news agency Lusa, Mário Antão said that the amount mentioned includes investment in the two phases of the project, to be implemented on Sal island.

The Salinas Resort, located in Santa Maria, will be a luxury complex that includes a five-star aparthotel with swimming pools, spa and conference rooms, in a total construction area of over 45,000 square meters.

In a first phase, the company will build Salinas Sea, on Santa Maria beach, in a plot of around 17,500 square meters, and later construction will begin on Salinas Sand, which will be located behind Salinas Sea, and will also have a five-star classification.

“Prices during construction will increase by between 5 and 10 percent,” the company said, and the promoters of Salinas Resort believe that the return on investment will be achieved within three to four years, without providing figures.

Article by Macahub.

Portugal is to provide two loans worth a combined 140 million euros to Cape Verde to finance road, port and airport building projects under an accord formalized Saturday.

Portuguese Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos, who traveled to Cape Verde to ink the accord, said the loans give “favorable and advantageous” repayment conditions to Praia, with interest rates lower than market rates.

The first loan of 100 million euros is for work on ports on the islands of Fogo and Santiago. The second credit of 40 million euros will fund road-building ventures on the islands of Santo Antão, Sao Vicente, Maio and Fogo, according to Cape Verde’s finance minister, Cristina Duarte.

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Picture: El Sol News

The president of the Canary Islands Paulino Rivero has revealed that the long awaited maritime link between Fuerteventura’s Puerto del Rosario and Tarfaya in Morocco will be up and running by the beginning of December.

Rivero explained that route would be covered by the Assalama ferry, which has been undergoing a series of practice moorings over the last month. The vessel has successfully passed the initial stages and will begin to carry passengers in December.

The 102m long, Assalama will be joining Fuerteventura and Tarfaya three times a week and will take approximately four hours to do the crossing.

The Assalama can carry 510 passengers and boasts, a lounge area, a self-service cafeteria and bar as well as a swimming pool and a large number of both individual and double cabins.

The Tarfaya – Puerto del Rosario line is the first to be established in Fuerteventura since the declaration of the capital’s port as a Schengen port was made official in September and as such has attracted much attention.

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Preparations in full swing as the island gears up to welcome 1,500 UK travel agents and British travel industry professionals

Tenerife plays host to the all important annual convention of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) from 27-30 November. The island’s public institutions, notably the Island Government (Cabildo), are immersed in the preparations for staging the event, which will attract 1,500 delegates to the Magma Arts & Convention Centre in Costa Adeje.

The Travel Convention 2007 will feature cutting edge business sessions plus stunning trips and activities so that attendees get a true taste of the destination they will be selling to the British public. Along these lines, Turismo de Tenerife will be staging a mega Welcome Party themed on the historical ties and bond of friendship between the island and the United Kingdom, complete with entertainment provided by scores of musicians, actors and craftsmen.

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Looking to escape the winter blues this season and thaw out in a warmer climate? It’s difficult to beat Gran Canaria, with its long, silky beaches, buzzing resorts and eternally spring-like climate, Gran Canaria is justifiably famous as a fun-in-the-sun destination. But there’s more to the island than sun, sand and sangria. Head inland for lush mountain landscapes, quaint colonial villages and incredible vistas. On the coast, drive past windswept bluffs or seek out solitary, unspoilt shorelines.

Where to stay
Overlooking the grand yacht port of postcard-perfect Puerto de Mogán is the Hotel Club de Mar, which boasts spacious, comfortable rooms with stellar views. Spend your free time in the spa or splashing about in the infinity pool.

The beach to seek out
Just west of Playa del Inglés you’ll find a series of beautiful, pristine beaches the crowds have yet to discover. The best of the lot is Playa Carpinteras, an unspoilt stretch of golden sand surrounded by dunes and lapped by gentle waves.

Full version of this article appears in Mytravel Magazine:

Autumn brings wind, high seas, and crashing breaks. Fancy catching a wave? Then read on, as surfing experts Phil Hoad and Ben Mondy revealed the best spots to be found especially for Ryanair Magazine.

Canary Islands.

Best for: Hawaiian-style thrills. OK, so no hula girls, but there are less sharks. Winking out of the Atlantic, off the coast of Africa, the Canary Islands are as close as you’re going to get in Europe to the full-on, grand-oceanic surfing experience. The islands are volcanic, and many of the waves break unforgivingly over razor-sharp lava reefs, so pack that first-aid kit. If you’re flying to Fuerteventura, the area around Corralejo, on the island’s northern tip, is the big draw – a 20km track runs along the coast, beside breaks with names like “Suicides”. Quiksilver runs a school here (tel: +34 928 867 307, www.quiksilver-surfschool.com). If you’re heading to Tenerife, there’s the southwest of the island, near Playa de las Americas (try K16 surf school, tel: +34 922 798 480, www.k16surf.com), and Playa del Socorro in the north.

Full article in Ryanair Magazine October

ROCK superstar Sir Elton John will be coming to Tenerife after all. And this time it will be in the south of the island.

After the abortive attempt by Santa Cruz city council to book him for an open-air seafront concert in the island’s capital, he will now be appearing on January 24.

Canarian promoters Sun Live Festival announced yesterday, Wednesday, that he will appear at the Olympic Stadium, Arona, and it was confirmed on the megastar’s own website.

But the Tenerife Sun has been told the venue has been changed to Costa Adeje Golf, in a specially prepared amphitheatre on the driving range, with room for 50,000.

Unlike with the premature claim by Santa Cruz deputy mayor, Angel Llanos, to have booked him for November 17, this new arrangement looks certain to go ahead.

Contracts have been signed and the fee has been paid upfront, according to our sources. Sir Elton is expected to bring his big band show direct from a date in Johannesburg.

Tickets, at €35 standing, €90 standing at the front and €120 seated, are expected to become available through his website or from the usual sources before this weekend.
Ring 0034 902 056492, Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm for details.

That famous Halifax business slogan “Always giving you extra” certainly rings true when it comes to expansion in the Canary Islands.

In a fast-growing market, Fuerteventura welcomed the first Banco Halifax Hispania in September and now Fanabé on Tenerife has become the second prestigious location. Further branches are to follow, including in Arona, as the Halifax strives to achieves its aim of innovation and competitiveness. The Halifax opened its first Spanish branch in Madrid in 1993 and has identified the Canaries as a place it has just got to be.

You can now find the distinctive blue Halifax cross at a smart and spacious new office on the top floor of the Central Commercial Fañabé Plaza. The staff are multi-lingual, speaking Spanish, English, German and some French with branch manager Cristina Olmos in charge.

British people will be particularly delighted to welcome the Halifax as it is a well-trusted name and you will find all the same services as offered at home on the high street. The range of high-quality products are tailored mainly to the UK market, directed at non-residents and residents alike.

The team at Fañabé prides itself on being welcoming and professional and will take time to sit down with you and explain all the products and services available. These include an opening promotion which offers up until December 31, 2007 no fee for arranging new non-residents’ mortgages and no fee for non-residents when they switch their current mortgage to the Halifax.

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Visitors to Gran Canaria and Tenerife in the new year will have the opportunity to take in one of the Canary Islands’ major music festivals.

From January 10th to March 1st the two islands will host a number of concerts and performances involving a number of high profile figures in the modern classical music field.

Among the groups attending the 2008 event is the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Moscow Academy of Choral Art.

Aficionados of this field of music will recognise some of the names that will be taking on conducting duties, including Riccardo Muti, Sir Neville Marriner, Daniel Harding and Sakari Oramo.

This event has developed into one of Europe’s most illustrious and enjoyable festivals, with major names such as Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras having entertained crowds in the past.

Visitors can find more information during the festival’s run at Auditorio Alfredo Kraus in Las Palmas or Auditorio de Tenerife in Santa Cruz

The 27 member-states of the European Union, meeting in Brussels, Monday reached an agreement on a future special partnership with Cape Verde, which aims to strengthen and boost ties between Cape Verde and the EU.

The EU’s Council for General and Foreign Relations, which  brought together on Monday and Tuesday almost 100 foreign, cooperation and defense ministers, adopted conclusions based on a communication from the European Commission on the future of relations between the EU and Cape Verde, which will become “special.”

The “special partnership” will boost political dialogue and economic convergence, going beyond setting up a framework of mutual interests, according to the document adopted by the Council Tuesday, which highlights “the special and strong historical relations between the two parties.”

Good governance, security and stability, regional integration, the knowledge and information society and the fight against poverty are some of the pillars that will regulate the relations between Cape Verde and the EU in the future.

The development of EU-Cape Verde relations will from now on be based on democracy, good governance, respect for human rights and respect for the Rule of Law.

Cape Verde’s special status includes a “plan of action” that brings together the logic of bringing Europe and Africa together, opening up a precedent for the Cotonou Agreements, between the EU 27 and Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP).

As well as defining financing processes, via the European Development Fund (EDF) and with the blessing of the European Investment Bank (EIB), the agreement also outlines the creation of a commission for supervising the Special Partnership. (macauhub)