(4 minutes read)
· The pristine beaches and luxury resorts of Cape Verde have always been a tourist attraction. But that is not the case now with the onset of pandemic
· Many feel that the future of the island nation lies with diversifying the economy and trading more with Africa
· The former Portuguese colony grew at 4.5 percent in 2018 and 5.7 percent in 2019. However, in the last year (2020), the economy contracted by 14.8 percent
The pristine beaches and luxury resorts of Cape Verde have always been a tourist attraction. But that is not the case now with the onset of pandemic. Since the coronavirus pandemic affected tourists arrivals. Many hotels have been closed for lack of business.
The tourist season starts from December. Again the hoteliers hoped that by February 2021 things would be better. A few newly built hotels are now delaying their reopening fearing that the business would be absolutely nil if they open it now.
The hotels in the West African country used to have clientele from Europe. Because of the pandemic, tourist flows from Europe have come to a grinding halt. Now the country is looking at attracting the local population to visit resorts and restaurants. It may not be a viable proposition since the local population is in the grip of a severe financial crisis let loose by the pandemic, is precarious since it has to import 90% of the consumable items.
Many feel that the future lies with diversifying the economy and trading more with Africa. While everyone agrees that agriculture and fishing have to be developed, among other things, it might take more time and effort to do so. Presently, tourism in a normal year accounted for one-fourth of the GDP of the country and was also a source of livelihood for a good percentage of its citizens. The former Portuguese colony grew at 4.5 percent in 2018 and 5.7 percent in 2019. However, in the last year (2020), the economy contracted by 14.8 percent.
Cape Verde’s incidence of Covd-19 infection was not very high. The country has recorded 19,780 cases, of which 188 have been fatal.
