Instability having a negative impact

Tourism operators in Mozambique say that political tension is deterring investment, with more than half a dozen tourist agencies closing across the country and hundreds of people losing their jobs.Operators say that this year, tourism will experience a strong downturn if the climate of political instability prevails. Summer has begun, they say, but unlike in previous years, the annual pilgrimage of tourists to Mozambican beaches has yet to be seen.Currently, tourism employs around 300,000 people and represents 3.4 percent of gross domestic product, but it is believed that the figures could be higher. Analysts say there are a number of constraints on profitability in the sector, but for Albino Malileco, secretary of the Association of Tour Operators, political tension is the main factor.Anthony Kooner, a South African tourist, told VOA that he is aware of people looking for other tourist destinations, but said that, despite low levels of services in some tourism resorts, some corruption and the poor security situation, he always spends his holiday in Inhambane. "It's wonderful," he says.In 2013, tourism revenue totalled US$222 million, against US$195 million the previous year. In the same year, the sector took in US$870 million in investment, an increase on the 2012 figure of US$696 million.In recent years, 578 new hotel and restaurant establishments have come into operation, with more than 45,000 beds available, but attracting customers is the difficulty.In Maputo, which hosts most of the holidaymakers, the bookings situation for the coming peak tourist season is not looking very good, says Luis Malagissa, manager of the Hotel Terminus, but Mozambican Minister of Tourism Silva Dunduru says that all the issues confronting the sector are being addressed.By 2025, Mozambique will be the most vibrant and dynamic tourist destination in Africa, he says, and will have more than four million tourist visitors a year.