Cruise ship at Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde - Photo credit: Secret-Travel.Guide via Unsplash+ License
Cape Verde may have exited its first FIFA World Cup in the round of 32, but the archipelago left North America with something potentially more valuable than a trophy: global recognition. Suddenly, one of the tournament's smallest nations had millions of people asking where it was or how to visit it.
The question after its World Cup breakthrough is therefore not simply whether more travelers will come, but what happens when they do. Could Cape Verde turn its sudden global fame into tourism that benefits the islands without overwhelming the places already under pressure?
His wish came true on May 4, 2026, when, after a more than eight-year hiatus, Cabo Verde Airlines officially resumed its direct flight between Providence, Rhode Island and Praia, Cabo Verde. Why New England? Because it has a large Cape Verdean diaspora.
Its economy grew by 6.3% in 2025, largely because of record tourism demand, increased flight capacity and strong arrivals from Europe, according to a World Bank report published on July 13, 2026.
Unemployment also fell to 6.2%, while the country recorded its first overall budget surplus since 2007. International reserves reached a record €975 million, but public debt remained high at 100.7% of GDP.
Two Islands Carry Most Of The Weight
However, tourism is concentrated on two of the ten main islands. In 2025, Sal welcomed almost 60% of the tourists, followed by Boa Vista with almost 25%. By comparison, only 8.1% of visitors stayed on Santiago and 4.4% on São Vicente.
The World Bank report says better inter-island connections could spread tourism beyond Sal and Boa Vista and strengthen domestic supply chains in fisheries, agriculture and services.
However, domestic flights remain limited, expensive and unpredictable, while ferry services are irregular and the maritime sector struggles with aging fleets and weak incentives to improve.
The All-Inclusive Model Comes At A Cost
For now, Cape Verde's tourism industry remains overwhelmingly dependent on tourists from Europe staying on an all-inclusive package.
In 2025, 93% of arrivals came from Europe, while only 1.1% of travelers were from the United States.
The all-inclusive packages discourage guests from spending outside their resorts. Since hotels and resorts import approximately 80% of their food and beverages, part of the money tourists spend leaves the country.
IFC also notes in the report that while resorts create local wages and generate import duties, VAT and tourism taxes, living costs have risen faster than tourism-related wages.
Can Cape Verde Sustain The Tourism It Wants?
Cape Verde's biggest tourism constraint may not be hotel rooms or airport capacity, but its limited natural resources.
IFC warns that tourism development has increased pressure on energy, water, waste management and the country's fragile coastal and marine ecosystems.
Sal, Boa Vista and São Vicente depend heavily on seawater desalination because their groundwater resources cannot meet demand, which in turn increases energy consumption.
Sal also already generates more waste per person than any other island, and that figure is projected to more than double by 2035.Â
Cape Verde has created a sustainable tourism certification that the Global Sustainable Tourism Council recognizes. However, the IFC found that only around 20% of tourism businesses had adopted sustainability or circular-economy measures, with most initiatives still at an early stage and limited in scale.
Maintaining tourism-led growth requires distributing visitors across more islands, strengthening links with agriculture and fisheries and reducing dependence on a single type (all-inclusive) and source of demand (Europe).
More Tourists, Or A Different Kind Of Tourism?
IFC identified three alternatives to all-inclusive tourism: yacht tourism, creative and cultural tourism and longer stays by digital nomads.
Since Cape Verde sits along transatlantic sailing routes between Europe and the Caribbean, yacht tourism has the potential to generate an average of $300 to $400 per tourist per day.
Tourism centered on music, festivals, art and crafts is another potential, since the archipelago is already known for its Creole cuisine and musical traditions, its UNESCO-recognized Cidade Velha, and cultural events such as the Kriol Jazz Festival.
However, according to the IFC, only around 1% of tourists' in-country spending goes toward cultural events. And on Sal, even the souvenir market is dominated by imported artisanal goods rather than locally made crafts.
Cape Verde's government estimated an average digital nomad might spend up to $63 per day, versus $43 for tourists generally. They are also more likely to use local apartments, coworking spaces and businesses, leaving their money in the country.
IFC concludes, however, that Cape Verde lacks a coordinated national strategy, reliable visitor data, specialist financing and sufficient business and technical training to turn this potential into an established tourism market.
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