Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine residents’ attitudes and perceptions towards tourism development in the Cape Verde islands, a little-explored issue in the context of small islands’ developing states, especially in Africa. Since the country is in the initial stage of tourism development, it is intended to show that residents predominantly share a positive attitude, which supports previous research. It is also intended to understand whether attitudes are homogeneously shared or instead tourism is differently perceived by residents. To address these objectives, a survey based on 492 questionnaires was applied to national residents in five countries that represent the major tourist areas of Cape Verde. The findings reveal that, in general, residents are optimistic about tourism. Yet, despite the overall positive attitude towards tourism, different segments of residents according to the way the tourism impacts are perceived could be identified. These segments report significant differences concerning socio-demographic characteristics and the degree of involvement in the tourism sector. This analysis provides important inputs for the planning process and sustainable development of tourism in the archipelago.