Reviving Tourism Through Equitable And Sustainable Models: A New Approach To Community-Led …

In the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, the tourism industry found itself at a crossroads, with communities worldwide struggling to revive their local economies. On Boavista Island, Cape Verde, a heated debate erupted among stakeholders, including government officials, NGOs, locals, and foreign hotel operators, over the best approach to reviving tourism.

The discussions were marked by competing interests, with some prioritizing rapid resort expansion and strict safety compliance, while others insisted on preserving environmental integrity and ensuring that local communities benefited directly from tourism. This scenario was not unique to Cape Verde, as similar tensions arose in other destinations, including Mossuril, Mozambique. For Michele Zavoli and Stefano Pellegrini, two Italian development consultants who had spent a decade working in Africa’s tourism development sector, the experience highlighted the need for a new approach that could build understanding and trust among all stakeholders.

They recognized that traditional tourism models often left local communities sidelined, with resources being drained without long-term value being created. Zavoli and Pellegrini’s quest for a solution led them to Massimo Fontana, a programmer dedicated to building open Web3 tools. When they shared their stories of struggling communities, Fontana saw an opportunity to apply his technology to create a more equitable and sustainable tourism model.