Cape Verde 2.0: branding and tourism development across the archipelago

Abstract

This article homes in on the genesis and the development process of tourism in the Cabo Verdes Islands, West Africa, from its definition as a national priority in the post‑independence period, to its qualification as a strategic sector in the 1990s, to the prioritizing of the sector as a core economic pillar for the 21s Century. From the analysis of the brand launched by the government in 2010/2011 (One Country, Ten Destinations), the article goes on to dissect several examples of built heritage privatization process, gentrification, and space wars in various islands. While the analysis focuses on Cabo Verde specifically, the country’s geographical dynamics and the phenomenology typical of an insular micro‑market, allows for a theoretical framework that is applicable to other geographies and contexts.