Abstract

Community-based tourism is being presented as an alternative to traditional mass tourism in developing countries. This kind of tourism allows for greater contact with local residents and generates greater economic and environmental benefits for the local community. In this paper, the results of fieldwork carried out on the island ofSantiago (Cape Verde) are presented, in which both tourists and managers of small and medium-sized tourism enterprises were surveyed. Tourists were questioned in order to assess the opinion and perception that they have of the area, while managers were surveyed in order to analyse the quality of service that local community managed businesses provide and to study the potential of the tourism resources in the area. The main results of the study endorse the quality of tourism resources provided by local businesses and highlight the community’s hospitality, a key element for the development of this kind of tourism.

Key words: Community-based tourism, developing countries, local community, socio-economic development, small businesses, island, Cape Verde.