Acorn Tourism Completes Final Mission to Improve Tourism Data Systems in São Tomé and Príncipe

5th December 2025

Acorn Tourism has completed its third mission to São Tomé and Príncipe as part of the WACA+ Programme, supporting the country to build a stronger and more reliable system for understanding who visits, why they come and how the tourism sector can grow sustainably.

Since the start of the project in March 2025, our team has been working closely with the Directorate General for Tourism and Hospitality (DGTH) to improve how visitor information is collected, processed and communicated. The aim is simple but powerful: to give São Tomé and Príncipe the tools needed to make informed decisions about tourism development.

From Raw Data to Clear Insights

Over recent months, Acorn has supported DGTH in improving the International Visitor Survey (IVS), helping refine the questionnaire, guiding the implementation of the March and August survey rounds and transforming the results into clean, usable datasets. These are essential steps for any country aiming to build a dependable evidence base for tourism planning.

Practical Training to Build Long Term Capacity

During this latest mission, Acorn delivered a full week of hands-on training to both technical and communications teams. The sessions combined data analysis, reporting and visualisation with practical communication skills, ensuring that insights can be shared widely and clearly across the sector.

Participants learned how to:

• Analyse visitor profiles and behaviours

• Use data to identify trends and opportunities

• Create charts, infographics and short insights

• Build simple, evidence-based messages for digital platforms

Why This Matters for São Tomé and Príncipe

Tourism is a growing part of the country’s economy, and reliable data helps direct investment, improve marketing and support local businesses. With stronger survey systems, DGTH will be able to:

• Track changes in visitor demand

• Understand what travellers value most

• Strengthen coordination with private sector partners

• Communicate results more consistently and transparently

These improvements support São Tomé and Príncipe’s ambition to grow tourism in a sustainable and nature-based way.

A Strong Partnership and Promising Progress

It has been a pleasure for Acorn Tourism to work alongside the DGTH and the WACA+ Project, funded by the World Bank. Their commitment to improving tourism data systems and communication has driven the progress achieved so far. We look forward to continuing our support as São Tomé and Príncipe strengthens a more resilient and insight-driven tourism sector