São Tomé and Príncipe strengthens tourism statistics to inform smarter investment and policy decisions

São Tomé, 11 June 2026 -São Tomé, 11 June 2026 - São Tomé and Príncipe has strengthened its technical capacity and now has more comprehensive and better-structured tourism data to improve the measurement of the sector's contribution to the national economy. During a capacity-building workshop held in São Tomé from 8 to 11 June 2026, around forty national experts developed a consolidated database on tourism establishments that is ready for operational use. They also produced key indicators on employment and investment in the tourism sector while enhancing their capacity to update the country's Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA); the internationally recognised statistical framework for measuring tourism's true contribution to economic activity.

These outcomes were achieved through a capacity-building workshop organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Subregional Office for Central Africa, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Youth and Sustainable Tourism and the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in São Tomé and Príncipe.

For ECA, the exercise extends well beyond statistical analysis.

"The workshop has contributed to the development of a consolidated database, analytical tables on tourism establishments, employment and investment indicators, and the completion of Tables 7, 8 and 9 of the Tourism Satellite Accounts. These outputs provide important tools for measuring tourism's contribution to the national economy more accurately while informing public policies that promote sustainable, inclusive and employment-generating tourism," said the Representative of the Director of ECA's Subregional Office for Central Africa.

The challenge is evident. Tourism is the country's leading source of economic value added. Yet, as in many Small Island Developing States, policymakers still lack sufficiently detailed information on tourism-related employment and investment across the industry.

As the Representative of ECA's Subregional Office for Central Africa further explained: "For São Tomé and Príncipe, where tourism is a strategic driver of economic diversification, the promotion of natural and cultural heritage, and the creation of opportunities for young people and local communities, robust statistics are indispensable. Reliable data move policymaking beyond broad assumptions. They help identify trends, measure impacts, guide investment decisions, monitor performance and strengthen dialogue between government, the private sector and development partners."

To generate these data, ECA supported a survey of tourism establishments conducted in May 2026. Participants subsequently strengthened their skills in coding, data entry, data cleaning, validation and statistical analysis of the survey findings.

Drawing on these survey results, the workshop enabled participants to populate the Tourism Satellite Accounts with indicators on employment and private investment.

For the Ministry of Environment, Youth and Sustainable Tourism, these achievements represent an important catalyst for the sector's development.

"Tourism offers tremendous potential for economic growth and job creation in São Tomé and Príncipe. Reliable tourism statistics are indispensable for supporting the sector's development and maximising its contribution to the national economy," said the Ministry's representative.

The workshop also strengthened collaboration among the country's key institutions responsible for producing tourism statistics. Such coordination is essential to ensure the availability, consistency and quality of the data required to monitor the sector and regularly update the Tourism Satellite Accounts.

Participants also identified a number of priorities to sustain the progress achieved. These include regularly updating the national register of tourism establishments, strengthening the exchange of administrative data among institutions, establishing a National Tourism Satellite Accounts Committee, introducing digital tools for data collection, and putting in place a statistical quality assurance framework.

For the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, these achievements underscore the importance of investing in national statistical capacity. "Institutions capable of producing and analysing high-quality data are essential to accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and fostering more inclusive and sustainable growth," noted the representative of the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office.

For ECA and its partners, the results achieved in São Tomé and Príncipe represent a major milestone towards strengthening tourism governance. By enhancing national capacity to produce and analyse tourism statistics, the country is progressively equipping itself with the tools needed to unlock the full potential of its tourism sector, attract greater investment, support evidence-based public policymaking and, ultimately, advance economic diversification.

Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: [email protected]