The Mozambican government says that the decision to facilitate and exempt tourists from low-risk countries from visa requirements has increased the number of visits to the country by 34 % in the first 90 days of the measure’s implementation.
“The measure has made Mozambique more competitive and facilitated access to potential investors,” reads the economic and social balance of the state budget implementation up to the third quarter, to which Lusa had access on Tuesday.
Mozambique introduced the Electronic Visa (e-Visa) in December 2022 and visa exemptions for citizens of 29 countries on 1 May, as well as revising the measure to grant investment visas for longer periods to foreign citizens who hold investments in Mozambique, simplifying the requirements for granting them.
“The creation of an online visa application platform and the exemption of tourism and business visas for a list of low-risk countries resulted in a 34 % increase in the number of visitors to the country in the first 90 days of implementation compared to the same period last year,” reads the ministry of the economy and finance’s report, which, however, does not quantify the number of tourists.
In the same document, the government estimates an “average expenditure” per visitor of US$110 and an average visit time of four days, meaning that each visitor represents US$440 “in new funds” for the economy.
“The increase in visitors to the country as a result of this measure represents growth in the sector and a multiplier effect on the Mozambican economy,” the report adds.
The Mozambican government announced in August that more than 13,000 foreign citizens had entered Mozambique under the visa exemption measure for some countries introduced in May, the vast majority of them tourists, including those from Portugal.
According to figures provided by the minister for tourism, Eldevina Materula, of these exemptions, with visas granted at the border, “more than 10,000” entered Mozambique “for tourism purposes and the remaining 3,000 for business purposes”.
“This is a clear sign that the measures taken by the government are having an effect on boosting our sector. With these measures, we clearly have a new pattern of tourists, with the American, British, Portuguese, Chinese and German nationalities standing out as the top five entries into Mozambique, with 7,927 tourists since the visa exemption came into force last May,” she said.
