Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi said Thursday, in his remarks in the opening address at the International Conference on Nature-Based Tourism, that his government has been implementing reforms aimed at transforming the tourism sector and increasing its appeal to investors.
The three-day International Conference on Nature-Based Tourism that was held in Maputo for the first time, brought together officials and institution members from across the world.
Nyusi said the government of Mozambique has taken measures to improve the business environment and boost the value chain of tourism, including easier acquisition for visa, rehabilitation of the national reserves and better tourism services.
“The government is eliminating corrupt and bureaucratic practices that inhibit investments. We have freed the national air space for international flights, which allow them to fly from their countries straight to Mozambique,” added the president.
According to the president, the tourism sector is growing and currently employing over 60,000 people, with a significant contribution to the country’s GDP.
With 25 percent of its territory occupied by conservation areas, Mozambique considers tourism as one of its four strategic priorities. The other three are agriculture, energy and infrastructure.
Mozambique is a southern African nation whose long Indian Ocean coastline is dotted with popular beaches like Tofo, as well as offshore marine parks. In the Quirimbas Archipelago, a 250km stretch of coral islands, mangrove-covered Ibo Island has colonial-era ruins surviving from a period of Portuguese rule. The Bazaruto Archipelago farther south has reefs which protect rare marine life including dugongs.
The only official language of Mozambique is Portuguese, which is spoken mostly as a second language by about half the population. Common native languages include Makhuwa, Sena, and Swahili. The country’s population of around 29 million is composed overwhelmingly of Bantu people. The largest religion in Mozambique is Christianity, with significant minorities following Islam and African traditional religions. Mozambique is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Southern African Development Community, and is an observer at La Francophonie.