Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Friday said that tourism remains one of the government’s main approaches, not only to ensure diversification and competitiveness of the country’s economy, but also to create jobs and improve livelihoods.
Nyusi made the remarks when he and visiting Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, inaugurated a luxury tourist resort, the Montebelo Bay and Resort, located at Ponta Milibangalala, in Maputo National Park, about 50 kilometres south of the capital. Rated five stars, the resort cost 92 million US dollars. It has 51 rooms and employs 100 people directly.
Addressing the occasion, Nyusi said that the tourism sector has been recording sound growth and Maputo province has been making a great contribution, although it has not yet exhausted its capacity to explore the enormous potential.
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“The opening of this resort will not only increase the number of beds, jobs and good quality services, but also contribute to fighting poverty. It will not only employ Mozambicans but also boost local production which will supply the guests,” Nyusi declared.
Currently, Nyusi stated, Maputo province has 471 tourist resorts and Matutuine district where Milibangalala is located houses 167 of them. From the resort, tourists will enjoy the sea views, with crystalline blue waters, and also the Park’s wildlife.
The tourism sector was severely affected when the number of international trips dwindled to halt thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. Aware of the need to boost the tourism sector, the Mozambican government adopted a wide variety of measures to boost its recovery.
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The measures, Nyusi pointed out, include the resilience and recovery plan for the tourism sector 2022-2024, staff immunisation as an opportunity for economic and tourism activity recovery and the quality label named “Pro Limpo”.
“The tourism sector has demonstrated resilience, whenever there are adverse situations which caused losses,” Nyusi declared, adding that data by the World Tourism Organisation show that in 2021 the international tourism recorded a moderate recovery.
Nyusi said that domestic tourism has been pointed as the foremost alternative to catapult the sector, and he urged the country’s private sector to keep attaching priority to the sector due to its role in galvanising development.
