Tourist Master Plan for Sal Island

CABO VERDE – ÁFRICA

A look at tourism in Sal

Cape Verde stands out in world tourism, attracting tourists in search of its transparent waters, scenic landscapes, ecotourism, and water sports, among other characteristics that make it so special. Ilha de Sal is one of the main tourist destinations today.

With the objective of diversifying the tourism sector and reducing the impact on the most visited islands, Cape Verde government has been carrying out actions and studies with the support of the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) for the elaboration of Tourism Development Projects aimed at the creation of the necessary conditions to increase investment and sustainable tourism development in the archipelago.

This work included the development of the Ilha do Sal tourism Master Plan, aiming to identify the particularities, potentialities and needs of the island for a territory coherent tourism development.

About 500 kilometers from the African coast, Sal is considered the most touristic island in Cape Verde, being an inducing destination for tourism in the archipelago. The set of natural resources such as the beautiful beaches, dunes and salt flats is supported by a wide range of tourist equipment and services.

The work involves a relevant initial step of understanding issues related to the dynamics of tourism in the region, in addition to considering the tourist demand on the islands, analysis of the tourist inventory, attractions and tourist infrastructure, as well as their main characteristics and identification of the opportunities and challenges for composition of new routes or strengthening of existing products.

The construction of the future vision for the island starts from the intersection of the analyzes, aiming at the definition of strategies and action plans based on the following premises: sustainability, circular economy, and experience tourism, prioritizing opportunities for visitor engagement with the place. In the areas of strategic action, potential tourist segments and products that lead to proposals are identified, divided between actions and projects.

The actions have a structuring character and create technical, political, and managerial support for the sustainability of the islands’ development. The projects structure the vision of the future. Actions and projects are organized into thematic axes, which relate to the complexity of the various points that are addressed in the construction of the Master Plan.

Examples of projects are strengthening local governance, making material to promote tourism, developing entrepreneurial programs and training in gastronomic experiences, strengthening local identity, culture and crafts, structuring ecotourism and conservation of protected areas, implantation of centers welcoming visitors and visitation centers, bicycle paths, interpretive signage, among others.

The work contemplates the development of the implementation plan, which presents the activities that guide the execution of the Master Plan, indicating, in addition to the coordination structure responsible for the implementation of plans and projects, models, prioritization and implementation scenarios. In addition to the relationship between the projects and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), studies were carried out to assess socio-environmental, socio-cultural impacts and mitigation processes.