Mozambican Tourism Minister Fernando Sumbana said on Saturday that Mozambique’s strategy to turn the country into one of the world’s preferred tourism destinations will soon come to fruition.
He made this statement on welcoming a group of 250 South Africans, including business people and tourists who, among other objectives, are seeking business opportunities in Mozambique.
One of the priorities in the government’s Five Year Plan (2005/09) is to adopt measures to establish local and regional partnerships, and to facilitate access to business opportunities in view of the World Cup 2010, to be held in the neighbouring South Africa.
“We are interested in promoting tourism in Mozambique, not only to attract investments, but also to change the image that citizens from neigbouring countries have of our country", said Sumbana, stressing that the country’s potencial will play an important role to this end.
He also disclosed that during the last June meeting, held in Johanesburg, where countries bordering with South Africa were all represented, Mozambique presented the country’s potential and its activities program in view of the oncoming event.
Answering a question on the contradiction between the poverty visible in most urban areas, despite the country’s good economic performance and its huge tourism potential, Sumbane said that this scenario is set to change, and that there are programes designed to support these communities.
More: allafrica.com
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