Sal Rei's tourism workers can't find housing for under 3.8 million escudos

Tourism wages versus resort prices

A hotel worker earns around 28,000 CVE a month, a world away from housing prices.

Renting as the only way out

Renting a room costs around 15,000 CVE a month, and doubles in high season.

Urban land growing ever more expensive

Land prices in Sal Rei stand at around 12,000 CVE/m².

Voices from the industry

Calls are growing for subsidised housing schemes or access cooperatives for tourism staff.

Hotel growth that came without housing for staff

Boa Vista has seen notable hotel growth over the past two decades, especially around Sal Rei, without that tourism development being matched by an equivalent housing plan for workers in the sector. Hotels themselves acknowledge growing difficulty retaining skilled staff, partly because many employees end up facing long commutes from other parts of the island. Some chains have begun considering their own accommodation schemes for staff, though these remain isolated cases for now.

High season, when rents spike

Rising rents during high season add a further burden for tourism workers, who see room prices double just as demand for their labour peaks — precisely when they most need stability in their housing. Several hotel employees interviewed say this seasonality forces them to sign short leases or share housing with several colleagues to cover the cost. That contrasts with the position of landlords renting out rooms, for whom high season is precisely the best earning opportunity.

Looking to cooperative housing models from other destinations

Union representatives from the tourism sector have begun citing cooperative or subsidised housing schemes used in other international tourist destinations as a possible model for Boa Vista. The idea would be to set aside public land, or land ceded by the hotels themselves, to build affordable housing for sector staff. So far the proposal has not gone beyond statements of intent, but it has the backing of tourism workers' associations in Sal Rei.