Mozambique’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Silva Dunduro, has said the country’s target is $6.8 billion in tourism receipts after the implementation of the 2018/2019 tourism strategic development plan, APA reported recently. In an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the International Conference on Nature-based Tourism, Dunduro told APA about his mission for the sector he runs under the motto “Discover Mozambique”.

“The government is betting on the diversification of the economy to ensure economic growth, reduce social inequalities and fight poverty. To this end, we want to implement the second strategic plan for the development of tourism 2018-2019”.

“The realisation of this vision implies high-growth tourism that is expected to bring economic and social returns, targeting over 2.8 billion dollars in foreign tourism revenues and the equivalent of 4 billion dollars of domestic tourism revenues”.

According to the official, “tourism currently contributes 2.5 percent to GDP (gross domestic product) and we are saying by 2025 we would like to see a figure of 6 to 7 percent. Tourism has the potential to be a key driver.”

Dunduru said the number of tourists visiting Mozambique has jumped to about 3.1 million this year from about 250,000 in 2017. In its latest report on tourism competitiveness, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has placed the southern African country among the world’s top 10 tourist destinations that are expected to register more growth in demand for leisure travel in the next decade. Spain heads the list.

Source: APA