Cape Verde’s LGBTQ Equality Profile and Tourism Growth Frame The Lagoon Resort’s 20-Year Milestone

Ahead of its 2027 anniversary, the Sal Island resort links Cape Verde’s evolving social identity and colonial heritage with questions about tourism investment and opportunities for younger residents.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Cape Verde ranks first in Africa on Equaldex’s composite LGBTQ Equality Index at 68 out of 100, although legal protections remain incomplete.
• The Lagoon Resort on Sal is preparing to mark 20 years in 2027 against the backdrop of Cape Verde’s 2025 independence jubilee.
• Cape Verde accommodation establishments recorded 1,248,052 guests in 2025, up 6%, with Sal accounting for 57.7% of arrivals.
• The country’s World Cup breakthrough and strong desire among young people to work abroad put opportunity and skills in focus.

As The Lagoon Resort approaches its 20-year milestone in 2027, the Meliá-linked hospitality destination on Cape Verde’s island of Sal is drawing attention to a side of the archipelago that sits beyond its beachfront hotels: its place in Africa’s LGBTQ equality rankings, the historical experiences that shaped the country and the pressure to create opportunities for a new generation.

Cape Verde currently leads the African table in the Equaldex LGBTQ Equality Index with a score of 68 out of 100, ahead of South Africa on 67. The index combines measures of legal rights and public opinion rather than offering a blanket assessment of safety or universal equality. Cape Verde scores 80 for public opinion and 56 for legal rights; same-sex marriage is not legally recognised there.

From Atlantic history to a changing social climate

The country’s present-day reputation comes with a complex historical backdrop. On Santiago island, Cidade Velha, formerly Ribeira Grande, was established in the 15th century as an early European colonial settlement in the tropics. UNESCO, which inscribed its historic centre on the World Heritage List in 2009, identifies its major role in the Atlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and in the emergence of Creole culture.

Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal on 5 July 1975 and marked its 50th independence anniversary in 2025. Its modern record on LGBTQ rights includes the decriminalisation of same-sex sexual activity in 2004 and legal protections against certain forms of discrimination. In June 2013, activists organised Mindelo Pride, the country’s first Gay Week, on São Vicente island. Progress has not removed every legal or social barrier, but these developments distinguish the islands within a region where rights and public attitudes vary widely.

Lisa Kellett, Chief of Staff at The Lagoon Resort, argues that the country’s historical experience should be part of how visitors understand the destination. She said travellers can arrive looking primarily for a beach holiday and depart having discovered a more complex national story. Her comments connect the resort’s forthcoming anniversary with a wider conversation about heritage, tolerance and the meaning of an inclusive welcome.

Tourism growth raises the stakes for local opportunity

There is also a clear commercial backdrop. According to the Cape Verde National Statistics Institute, accommodation establishments welcomed 1,248,052 guests in 2025, a 6% increase on 2024, while overnight stays rose 8.3% to more than 6.12 million. Sal accounted for 57.7% of hotel-guest arrivals, underlining the island’s central role in the country’s visitor economy.

The Lagoon Resort portfolio includes beachfront accommodation operated with the Meliá brand, serving both families and adults-only travellers. Developer The Resort Group PLC says it has five completed resort projects on Sal and identifies a development pipeline of 6,500 rooms. Those figures describe the company’s stated operations and plans, rather than additional rooms already available to book.

But the rise in international visitors poses a different question: whether the expansion of tourism and hospitality can provide enough attractive career prospects for Cape Verdeans who might otherwise leave. A 2024 national governance survey reported by Lusa found that 76% of respondents aged 18 to 35 were considering emigration, with employment opportunities a principal concern. The figure measures stated intentions, not actual departures.

Resort investment has been accompanied by education and charitable projects. The Resort Group says its honorary chairman, Rob Jarrett, established the Cape Verde Foundation in 2011. The company also documents the foundation’s involvement in a higher-education facility inaugurated in Praia in May 2017, including classrooms, laboratories, a library and sports facilities, as well as scholarship support for local students. Jarrett received a Cape Verdean Merit Medal in recognition of his contribution to the country, according to the group.

A World Cup breakthrough adds another dimension

A recent sporting breakthrough has amplified Cape Verde’s international profile. The national football team, the Blue Sharks, qualified for its first FIFA World Cup with a 3–0 victory over Eswatini on 13 October 2025, a little over three months after the independence jubilee. At the 2026 tournament, the team reached the knockout phase before losing 3–2 to Argentina after extra time in the round of 32.

Kellett sees that achievement as evidence of the ambitions of a country with a small population and a far-reaching diaspora, while warning that ambition must be matched by opportunities at home. For the hospitality industry, that tension is especially relevant: international visibility can attract travellers and capital, but the longer-term measure of progress also includes jobs, skills development and community benefit.

The Lagoon Resort’s anniversary in 2027 will therefore arrive at the intersection of several stories: a maturing visitor economy, a distinctive but incomplete record of LGBTQ inclusion, renewed awareness of colonial heritage and a young population looking for its own share of the country’s success. The challenge for Cape Verde’s tourism sector is to turn those assets into durable benefits that reach beyond the resort gates.