Boosting Mozambique’s Tourism Through Sustainable Practices

All countries want inbound tourism, which contributes to GDP. In Mozambique, tourism accounted for 3.71% of GDP between 2016 and 2020 when it welcomed an average of 2 million tourists per year. This compares to Spain, which is reaching over-tourism with a record 85.1 million international tourists in 2023, 19% more than the year before. Mozambique, with its natural beauty, an array of ecosystems and picturesque coastline along the Indian Ocean, has huge growth potential. But beneath the surface of this breathtaking landscape lies pressing environmental issues, the most significant being climate change, deforestation, plastic pollution, and overfishing. Despite these challenges, Mozambican tourism has much scope for growth.

Can Mozambique leverage its strengths to attract tourists?

A good strategy to increase tourism could include consideration of what tourists are looking for when choosing a destination and understanding the categories of tourists and their numbers. This table provides a broad perspective of the different types of tourists and what they want. The percentages do not add up to 100 as they are overlapping.

Most tourists aim for relaxation, entertainment, and recreational activities, especially leisure, adventure, family, and budget tourists.

By implication, this would include convenience from the day of booking a holiday destination to return travel home. Stringent and unreasonable visa requirements can deter potential visitors, and Mozambique provides a good example. The country experienced remarkable growth in tourist arrivals when it relaxed visa requirements and made it easier to obtain them online. According to the WOW report on the tourism industry in Mozambique, in the first 90 days of implementing a visa exemption, the number of visitors to the country increased by 34%.

How geo-location hinders tourism in Mozambique

Mozambique, like South Africa, does not have an ideal geo-location for some tourists coming from Europe, the US and Asia, as they might find a 12-hour flight with the possibility of a stopover too stressful when they are looking for relaxation. Those high value tourists, especially from Europe, might find North Africa more convenient particularly given their perfect summer weather months with coinciding traditional holiday periods. The table below illustrates tourist arrivals numbers according to Statista:

Competitive pricing and good value for money play a critical role in attracting tourists. The weak local currency in Mozambique offers scope in terms of price, while entertainment and recreational activities are drawcards for bigger numbers of tourists.

Some countries with historic cities as drawcards have inherent advantages and may have proximity and internal efficiency in terms of transport. The numbers speak for themselves:

Cities in countries with the most international visitors in 2023 according to Mastercard

Mozambique’s opportunities to boost tourism

The country has started implementing strategies that are giving effect to essential improvements in the tourism space, and is making substantial funds available as reported by WOW and shown in the table.

Mozambique needs to improve infrastructure, security, logistics, and hospitality skills. It has faced security challenges in certain regions due to sporadic incidents of violence and unrest, particularly armed groups and civil unrest in Cabo Delgado which is of concern and has not been resolved.

Mozambique also needs to address the issue of a reliable and competitive procurement value chain. The WOW report on Mozambican tourism indicates that hotels are noticeably more expensive than South Africa due to higher procurement input costs. Lowering the costs of accommodation can attract tourists, especially those from long-distance destinations where tourists are already incurring high costs of transport due to distance.

The Club Med formula continues to be popular because tour guides make tourists feel welcome and provide information and assistance. While developed countries such as Sweden, Norway and New Zealand have started implementing sustainable tourism strategies for conscientious travellers who seek meaningful and responsible travel experiences, countries like Mozambique are grappling with strategies to increase the number of tourists.

Mozambique has great potential for tourism growth, underscored by its natural beauty and diverse ecosystems. While facing environmental and security challenges, the country can leverage relaxed visa policies and competitive pricing to attract more tourists.