Institutional Section

As part of its transformation program, the government of São Tomé and Príncipe has identified tourism as a strategic sector for the country’s economic and social development. This strategic vision aims to make São Tomé and Príncipe, by 2025, “the best-preserved island tourist destination in Equatorial Africa, with unique natural surroundings and biodiversity, paradisiacal beaches, where the locals’ hospitality—rooted in their historical and cultural heritage of coffee and cocoa plantations—is reflected in their way of life and their warm hospitality.”

General Directorate of Tourism and Hospitality (DGTH)

The DGTH is headed by a director general who oversees all of its departments,
coordinates their activities, and refers matters that do not fall within the minister’s jurisdiction to the Minister of Tourism. General Directorate of Tourism and Hospitality of São Tomé and Príncipe, Avenida Marginal 12 de Julho, CP40, City of São Tomé, Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Directorate of Tourism Inspection and Gaming

The Department of Tourism Inspection and Gaming is the agency responsible for overseeing the operation of games of chance, ensuring compliance with the legal regulations governing this activity, and inspecting all activities and businesses in the tourism sector.

Tourism Development
Division The Tourism Development Division has been divided into two departments: Studies and Licensing. The Studies Department is responsible for the institution’s regulations (laws), statistics, and tourism studies, while the Licensing Department manages the accreditation of tour operators. In summary, this department is responsible for proposing, designing, monitoring, implementing, and evaluating tourism policy.

Directorate of Tourism Promotion and Activities

The Directorate of Tourism Promotion and Activities is currently divided into two divisions within the DGTH (General Directorate of Tourism and Housing): the Department of Marketing and Promotion and the Department of Tourism Products. These divisions are responsible for proposing initiatives to promote São Tomé and Príncipe, both nationally and internationally, as well as for promoting tourism and monitoring its development. The Department of Tourism Products is responsible for identifying and monitoring the destination’s tourism offerings.

Technical Assistance and Secretariat Office

The Technical Assistance and Secretariat Office (GATS) is the department responsible for providing support to the other departments in technical, administrative, and financial procedures,
while also ensuring—in coordination with human resources management—the integrated management and maintenance of the DGTH’s IT infrastructure and automated information processing solutions.