Agencies asphyxiated travel

The more active control that the Bank of Mozambique is doing in foreign currency movements as well as new limits for the use of credit cards in force since the beginning of the year, are stifling the Mozambican travel agencies. "Now we have a much more serious problem that is part of airlines that are starting to ban sales of airline tickets for lack of expatriation of funds," said the president of the Travel Agents Association and Tour Operators of Mozambique (Avitum) Noor Momade, warning that if nothing is done "we run the risk of shut the travel agency."

The restrictive monetary policy measures that the Central Bank has implemented unsuccessfully, to curb inflation in our country, are stifling various sectors of the national economy in addition to the bank loans have become more expensive due to the increase of the reference rates the most active control on foreign currency movements are hindering the repatriation of capital from foreign companies that sell in meticais but wish to receive these values ​​in their foreign countries.

The latest cry arose from the business of Mozambican travel agencies at a meeting held last Friday (24) with the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Silva Dunduro, warned that international airlines that sell airline ticket in our country started impose restrictions since the week ended due to the difficulty of transferring the amounts received in meticais to their respective countries.

"There are airlines flying to Mozambique, and there are others that do not fly here but you are in the market and we can sell your tickets. For example Emirates, Air France, Singapure Airlines, American Airlines and others departing from Johannesburg. Since yesterday (Thursday, 23), some of them, decreed that the Mozambican agencies can not sell their tickets than from Maputo match, "said the president of the @Verdade Avitum explaining that this decision first more expensive for domestic travelers the cost of tickets for the connection between the Mozambican capital and Johannesburg, monopolized route through Mozambique Airlines and South African Airways, is very expensive.On the other hand the sale of air tickets abroad, in addition to the routes operated by airlines flying to Maputo, represents a significant share, and lucrative, business of domestic travel agencies.In addition to this recent problem tourist agencies have faced other difficulties in selling their tourism services to clients in Mozambique intend to move to the outside. Since 1 January this year the Bank of Mozambique restricted to only the equivalent of 700,000 meticais the annual limit that each holder, regardless of the number of credit or debit cards that have one or more Mozambican banks.

"Many of us have to pay for our guests accommodation, transfers outside the country, we use the credit card. Usually the credit card company is in the name of one of the company managers and this manager also has your personal card then buying it does accumulate and the limit is unique. If there are colleagues who have exceeded the limit set by the Bank of Mozambique should not miss much, what will happen: we will issue cards to all workers (the agency) to accumulate we can 700 thousand, is correct we do that? "he asked Neima Fakir representative of a Mozambican tourism agency present at the meeting.

According to Neima Fakir the "solution could be a bank transfer, but if a customer appears today to pay a hotel anywhere in the world the bank does not transfer on the same day, and the hotel there until they receive will not accept the client"."This is very bad for us because our sales will decline and we have workers doing nothing, we will not be able to pay wages, let's lay off or we'll have to close the agency," concluded Neima Fakir.Silva Dunduro minister left the meeting before its completion due to scheduling reasons, without giving answers to the representatives of Mozambican travel agencies.