Mass tourism vs sustainability
“I AM SAVIO”
It's not just about helping travellers with their questions
I am Savio,
I just finished my internship at vista verde tours office in Mindelo.
Let me give you a short inside view of me and my perspective in respect to tourism on Cape Verde.
I chose tourism as a second option to study as, at first, I intended to proceed with computing and programming, but due to some complications I have decided to dedicate my studies to the tourism area. In my opinion and for what I have experienced until today, it turned out to be a great choice, so with no doubt I would do it again.
At first, the studies helped me to get rid of the "closed mind" ideas of tourism, such as thinking of it being just a bunch of people traveling to another country, and the only services related to it was the guiding. We were taught to analyze the tourism area in its full complexity and all the factors and infrastructures that allow and support the tourism area along with all the different types and forms of tourism and their peculiarities.
I grew up experiencing Sal island's mass tourism, and even not having an appropriate knowledge of the area, I never felt or saw a major positive impact of it besides the creation of new jobs. Even if it looks great on paper, those low paying jobs and the lack of interaction with the local community do not show any type of guarantee to live out of it in the long run.
What interest me in particular is the aspect of sustainability as this direction is the only possible way to use tourism as a tool to help improving not just the economy, but also the living conditions and development of the involved community.
In 5 years I see myself fully affirmed and professionally stable in the tourism industry, with a concluded tourism guide formation to add up with this recent tourism management and planning degree.
See you soon…
Savio Duarte