Tourist potential

Mozambique’s tourism potential should be considered an advantage in the fight against poverty, said the World Bank (WB) director in Mozambique Mark Lundell.“In Africa, tourism is growing very strongly and has been a strong source of job creation,” said Lundell during the opening of the international conference on Nature-Based Tourism, which will take place in Maputo on Thursday and organised by The Mozambican government and the Global Wildlife Program, an international partnership led by the World Bank.The commitment to protect endangered species, said the World Bank director, should be a commitment made by everybody, especially in Africa.“Mozambique has been an example in the struggle for conservation,” noted Lundell, adding that Mozambican rural communities are increasingly aware of the importance of biodiversity.“I hope this conference will produce new ideas for the conservation of biodiversity and, consequently, for the development of tourism,” he concluded, expressing that the World Bank was open to continuing to support Mozambique in the fight for nature conservation.Conservation areas in Mozambique cover 25% of the country’s territory.The International Conference on Nature-Based Tourism will bring together academics and experts from 25 countries to discuss biodiversity conservation around the world, with a special focus on the host country.The meeting, which is due to end on Saturday, is rotated between member countries of the Global Wildlife Program and, before Mozambique, was hosted by India and Kenya.