Holiday resorts in Cape Verde hit by hurricane
Two of the most popular holiday islands in Cape Verde have been battered by Hurricane Fred, which knocked out power, ripped roofs from buildings and caused flash floods.
The islands of Boa Vista and Sal, featured by Thomson and Thomas Cook, were the worst affected in the 10-island archipelago off the coast of West Africa. Flights to and from both islands have been suspended.
As a result, Thomson was forced to suspend flights to Cape Verde from Manchester and Gatwick yesterday by 24 hours. The operator said customers in the resort were informed and remained in hotels.
In Boa Vista, where Thomson has three hotels, power was knocked out earlier this morning in the city of Sal Rei, mobile operator Unitel T+ has also gone down and floods have cut off roads to villages in the south and east of the island.
The international airport Aristides Pereira International is closed.
On the island of Sal people are being evacuated from rural areas and Santa Maria, the main tourist hub, has been flooded. Thomas Cook features seven hotels in Santa Maria, including the Morabeza which reports say was most at risk. Thomson has four hotels in the island, three in Santa Maria.
The dock at Santa Maria was broken in half and Amicar Cabral International Airport is closed.
Thomas Cook said none of its 180 customers on the island had been affected and there was no damage to any of the hotels it featured.
A Thomas Cook flight arrived shortly before the airport was closed when the storm hit at 05:00 on Monday. Excursions for customers were cancelled as a result of the bad weather yesterday.
Forecasters say the islands, which lie just south of the Canaries, will endure a further 25 cms of rain today, although Thomas Cook’s agents in Sal said the sun was shining today.
It is the first time they have been hit by a hurricane since reliable records began in the 1960s.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
All eyes on Qatar as Qatar Airways leads a season of global events