Mozambique eyes World Cup tourism windfall
guardian.co.uk
Mozambique plans to spend $600 million on new hotels, casinos and other leisure facilities as part of an effort to capitalise on a tourism boom expected when neighbouring South Africa hosts the 2010 soccer World Cup.
In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Albino Mahumana, Mozambique's national tourism director, said the southern African nation was hoping to lure a large number of visiting soccer fans to its famous beaches and colonial cities.
More than 300,000 tourists are expected to come to South Africa for the month-long soccer tournament, which begins on June 11, 2010.
The Mozambican capital Maputo is a few hours drive from Nelspruit, one of the nine World Cup host cities, and about six hours from Johannesburg, where the opening and final games will be played.
"We would like Mozambique to be a jewel for visitors when they come for the World Cup," Mahumana said. "Everybody else is focusing on this event, and we would like to make a major difference."
Although one of the world's poorest countries, Mozambique is experiencing an economic boom, and its government is keen to lure more tourists and foreign investors to further boost growth.
Mozambican officials predict that 2007 will be one of the best years for the country's tourism sector in decades, with the government forecasting more than a million visitors and tourism revenue of about $150 million.
Tourists generated $144 million for the former Portuguese colony in 2006, making the sector one of the largest sources of foreign exchange for the country.
