The number of tourists welcomed by Cape Verde in the first half of 2016 increased by 15.9 percent year-on-year, to 323,096, the country’s National Statistics Institute announced.

The figures refer to the aggregate number of guests lodged in the African nation’s hotels during the January to June period.

According to the statistics bureau, the number of overnight stays also increased year-on-year in the first six months of 2016. The country registered more than 2 million overnight stays during that period, up by 14.0 percent from the previous year.

In the second quarter of 2016, Cape Verde welcomed 132,443 guests, a 13.9-percent year-on-year increase. Citizens from the United Kingdom accounted for 22.9 percent of Cape Verde’s tourists between April and June, the bureau added.