The Mozambican Chamber of Commerce (CCM), the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA), Hotel and Tourism Business Associations, Travel Agencies, among other institutions, are proposing the establishment of a Tourism Business Incubator in Inhambane province, in the south of the country, as a way of strengthening this sector.
The ‘Hub’ would be based at the Inhambane School of Hospitality and Tourism (ESHTI), bringing together the private sector, academia and the government, to develop specialists who would strengthen the private sector with the creation of new companies to explore areas and potential in tourism that have so far not been explored in the province and the country.
The proposal is the result of a round table held a few weeks ago in the province in question, which brought together various segments of society to discuss issues related to tourism.
According to Inhambane’s Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism, Emidio Samuel, in order to facilitate the materialisation of ideas linked to the tourism sector, the government is always working on laws about it.
‘The law has no problems, but there is a need to create decrees to respond to specific areas in tourism, and that is what is happening. We have regulations and decrees that are responding to specific areas.’ He said.
‘We can accept that there may be a lack of more decrees and regulations to respond to specific activities, but at the moment the existing decrees and regulations are up to date and are responding to specific sectors within culture and tourism,’ he explained.
He also said that there was plenty of room for innovation and entrepreneurship in culture and tourism in Inhambane, as well as in Mozambique.
For his part, the director of ESHTI, Ernesto Macaringue, was open to hosting the Incubator, on the pretext that it is in line with the ideals of this educational institution.
‘This is in line with the school’s objectives, since, as well as orienting graduates towards the tourism job market, it will develop companies that will need more tourism specialists, and it could also serve as support for informal businesses that have been operating without basic orientation in short courses and formalisation and certification orientation, mainly for tour guide operators and intermediation,’ he said.
The executive director of CA-Inovação, Momade Zainadin, said that tourism is a sector to invest in, as it has a lot of potential.
‘I saw a lot of potential and spaces for interconnecting the business players already on the market,’ he said.
‘So, with new businesses being created to complement and monetise existing ones, with the creativity and energy of younger people and with what new technologies already provide for some activities to be more competitive, I see tourism as Mozambique’s oil and much more than Cabo Delgado’s oil and gas projects, due to its potential and the creation of jobs for everyone, regardless of academic levels and degrees,’ he noted.
The deputy director of the IT Centre (CIEUM) of the UEM Business Incubator, Jamo Macanze, also praised the idea of setting up the initiative in Inhambane and said that the institution he represents will contribute to making this happen.
‘There is great potential for the Incubator to be set up at ESHTI and UEM’s Business Incubator can contribute to the development of this incubator at Inhambane’s School of Hospitality and Tourism,’ he said.
He concluded by arguing that there is a need to first build capacity within ESHTI, which will only happen with the joint work of the private sector, academia, government, investors and Mozambican society in general.
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