The Mozambican government expects revenues from international tourism to reach almost 400 million dollars (27 billion meticals) by 2029, which will correspond to 6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared to the current 4%, in a strategic commitment to the economic development of the sector.
According to the Government’s Five-Year Programme (PQG) 2025-29, presented this week by the Executive led by Daniel Chapo, the aim is to consolidate Mozambique as a competitive destination for leisure and business tourism, by attracting major international events and strengthening the country’s digital promotion abroad.
The document sets the target of achieving annual revenues of 391.9 million dollars (27 billion meticals) by the end of 2029, a significant increase on the 221.2 million dollars (15.3 billion meticals) recorded in 2024. This would represent growth of more than 77 per cent over the five-year period.
The plan also envisages a significant increase in the number of workers in the sector, which should rise from the current 14,603 to 22,115 by 2029, reinforcing tourism’s role as a lever for job creation and economic inclusion.
In 2021, tourism’s contribution to Mozambique’s GDP was 2.46 per cent. The recovery trend accelerated in the following years, with the highlight being 2023, when the number of international arrivals exceeded 870,000, of which 87 per cent came from the African continent and 6 per cent from Europe, with Portugal among the main senders.
Part of this growth is attributable to the visa exemption for citizens of 29 countries, approved as part of the government’s economic acceleration measures.
In addition to international promotion, the PQG includes measures to upgrade tourist destinations, encourage public-private investment and reformulate strategic infrastructures to attract more visitors and extend the average stay in the country.
‘The aim is to consolidate Mozambique as a competitive destination for leisure and business tourism, by attracting major international events and strengthening the country’s digital promotion abroad’
Daniel Chapo – Mozambican President
Despite the promising scenario, the tourism sector was affected in 2024 by the post-election social tension, which generated losses estimated at 500 million meticals (7.2 million dollars), due to the cancellation of bookings in the middle of the high season (Christmas and New Year’s Eve).
According to Muhammad Abdullah, head of the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism department at the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), the effects of the demonstrations were felt in all the provinces, with temporary closures of establishments, especially in Maputo, and a negative impact on the country’s external image.
‘This is our biggest fear: the way in which the image of instability conveyed by the international press could jeopardise the effort to reposition Mozambique as a safe and attractive tourist destination,’ he said.
Even so, the sector has shown signs of resilience, with 208 new tourist developments inaugurated by 2024, 68 of which in the accommodation sector, according to official budget execution data.
As a response to the situation, the CTA and the government are now betting on an intensive digital marketing campaign, aimed at restoring market confidence and recovering the flow of tourists over the next few years.
Source: Lusa
