On 29 April, RIU Hotels & Resorts celebrated its 20th Anniversary Gala, which commemorated the opening of its first hotel in Cape Verde on Sal Island in 2005: the Riu Funana. The ceremony was presided over by His Excellency Dr Ulisses Correia e Silva, Prime Minister of Cape Verde, along with other distinguished members of his government, and by Félix Casado, member of the RIU Board of Directors and Chief Operating Officer in Cape Verde. The Gala aimed to reflect the importance of Cape Verde for RIU, as well as to highlight the work of the past 20 years and the great link they have with the local community. For this, RIU presented 35 awards to its most renowned collaborators, suppliers and local organisations in the country.
Over the past 20 years, RIU has witnessed and has been part of the country’s great tourism evolution, becoming a top international destination. In addition, it has supported local talent and, as a result of training and career planning, Cabo Verde now has a large pool of professionals who today are leaders and trainers in other destinations. This was precisely one of the aspects that was highlighted by the Prime Minister in his words of congratulations to RIU with which the event was brought to a close. Dr Ulisses Correia e Silva praised the chain’s business model, which supports the training of its workers and which cares about the well-being of the community. He also said that RIU has been an engine for tourism development and that much of the growth and professionalisation of the industry in the country has been thanks to the company’s support.
The event, held at the Riu Funana hotel on Sal Island, brought together nearly 150 attendees and was presented and led by the journalist Susana Rendall, who began by showing a commemorative video about the history of RIU in Cape Verde. Félix Casado, member of the RIU Board of Directors, gave an emotional speech in which he recounted RIU’s beginnings in Cape Verde when, alongside Carlos Almeida, HR Director, they visited the local neighbourhoods to introduce the hotel manager and their project in order to hire the team from that first hotel. During his speech he expressed his appreciation, especially to his collaborators who have been able to demonstrate the value of Cape Verde, and showed his great affection for the country:
Cape Verde is a destination that has changed us as a company. I’m not going to say it’s been an easy journey. Especially [since] the beginning was full of challenges. Let me tell you all that your extraordinary “morabeza” makes you unique and fortunately, we believe it has also touched the soul of RIU.
The 35 awards presented during the Gala were distributed in four large recognition groups. The work of BIOS Cabo Verde and Associaçao Projeto Biodiversidade was highlighted in the category Environmental Project for the protection of the Caretta caretta turtle; Fundaçao DesBem was awarded for its work in health and childhood through the Children’s Health Office of Sal Island; homage was paid to Carlos Almeida, Director of Human Resources for RIU in Cape Verde and the longest-standing employee in the chain in the country, for his key role in the development of the company in Cape Verde; and, finally, essential suppliers, local entrepreneurs and pioneers who have been with RIU since its beginnings in Cape Verde, were recognised.
The awards were presented by Catalina Alemany, Director of Sustainability for RIU, Juan Carlos Dreher, Operations Officer for Cape Verde, Sergio Lobenstein, Operations Director for Cape Verde, Félix Casado and the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, His Excellency Dr Ulisses Correia e Silva.
The evening also included a performance of Cape Verdean music and dance and concluded with the Prime Minister’s speech, after which a dinner was provided for all the attendees with live music.
The 20th Anniversary Gala was a celebration of work, overcoming challenges and an expression of deep appreciation for human relationships and closeness to the community. In addition, [it was] an opportunity to recognise the key people and players over these two decades. With this grand commemorative event, RIU celebrated in style. Twenty years ago, in 2005, RIU began its journey in Cape Verde and it is now one of its main international destinations with six hotels, more than 3,500 rooms and 3,120 local employees.
For further information please visit: www.riu.com
About RIU Hotels & Resorts
The international RIU hotel chain was started in Mallorca, Spain, in 1953 as a small holiday business run by the Riu family, the founders and current owners, now in its third generation. The company specialises in holiday accommodation and over 74% of its establishments offer its renowned All Inclusive by RIU service. With the opening of its first city hotel in 2010, RIU expanded its product line with its own range of urban hotels under the name RIU Plaza. RIU Hotels & Resorts has 98 hotels in 21 countries, with a total of 38,055 employees that welcomed 6.7 million customers in 2024. RIU is currently the 40th largest chain in the world and fourth in Spain in terms of the number of rooms.
For further information please visit: www.riu.com.
