Tourism Master Plan For The Island Of Santiago, Cape Verde : 2020–2030 – Part 2

Abstract

Cape Verde, a small insular development economy (SIDS), has been confronted and faces various economic, social and environmental constraints throughout its history that have been conditioning its growth strategy. In recent years, tourism has been growing and consolidating an important contribution to economic development, which is observable in the evolution of the number of nights spent in the country, revenue, number of guests, employment generation, and incentive to exports, among others. The gross added value of tourism currently has a weight that is already more than 20% of its GDP (excluding the COVID-19 pandemic period). Aware of this potential, the government created conditions for a greater use of its effects as a mobilizing factor in the economy, as reflected in various official supporting documents and strategic orientations, such as the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development, and the Main Options of the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development for the Tourism Activity. The Government decided that each island or region should develop its own strategic tourism plan (Masterplan). This paper proposes several main strategic reflections about the Tourism Master Plan for the Island of Santiago in order to improve its competitiveness.