The president of the Tourism Department of the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), Muhammad Abdullah, said on Wednesday 18 December that companies in the hotel sector and their service providers have already lost more than 500 million meticals due to the post-election protests, reiterating that the sector continues to face cancellations of reservations and requests for refunds due to the instability in the country.
According to an article made public in the newspaper O País, the post-election protests have been destabilising the national economy due to the paralysis of activities in various sectors, and the tourism sector is one of the worst affected.
‘The tourism industry is currently being damaged by this situation, to the tune of 500 million meticals. Companies have invested to be able to receive tourists during the festive season. Now, not only will they not get a return on their investment, but they will also have to make refunds for the bookings that are being cancelled. It’s a complicated situation that worries us a lot. We still don’t know how and how many businesses will survive at this time,’ lamented Muhammad Abdullah.
Muhammad Abdullah, head of tourism at the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA)
He explained that the current crisis facing the tourism sector is more serious than the one faced by covid-19.
‘We’re talking about a climate of insecurity, fear and lack of mobility. The news that has spread around the world of people being stranded at airports and even lying on the ground is not good for the country’s image,’ he explained.
Muhammad Abdullah warned that the instability will have repercussions and will obviously slow down the development of tourism. ‘It will be difficult to convince people that Mozambique is a safe country, that there are no problems visiting it, because this image of instability remains,’ he said.
