Maputo has once again placed tourism at the centre of Mozambique's economic ambition. The Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA) has asked for the support of partners in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) to boost promotion of the sector, speed up its modernisation and invest in training specialised staff.
The message was delivered by Salimo Abdula, the CTA's representative for tourism, at the end of a meeting held in the Mozambican capital with a mission from the CPLP Business Confederation (CE-CPLP). The delegation included representatives of AHRESP — the Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Similar Establishments of Portugal — and of the Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE), who are in Mozambique for three days to strengthen exchange in this field.
According to Salimo Abdula, joint work is envisaged between the CTA and other Mozambican bodies to understand how this cooperation could go beyond business and pave the way for the preparation of a skilled workforce. The idea, he explained, is to create conditions for training young Mozambicans, allowing them to find job opportunities in a more developed tourism market.
For the official, this is a strategic sector, which Mozambique regards as one of the pillars of its social and economic growth. Tourism, he stressed, fits what the country most wants to achieve: job creation, a livelier economy and the enhancement of national potential. It is within this framework that the CTA and CE-CPLP, with the involvement of AHRESP and ASAE, intend to deepen mutual learning and consolidate forms of cooperation that allow tourism to become a real lever for development.
Abdula also pointed to a fact he considers symbolic: Mozambique was the first country chosen for this type of interaction promoted by the CPLP business mission. After this stage, contacts are expected to follow with other member states of the organisation with the same aim of drawing closer around tourism. Even so, he frankly acknowledged that Mozambique still needs a great deal to establish itself fully in this sector.
On the CE-CPLP side, vice-president Berta Montalvão explained that the mission's main purpose is to follow the dialogue with the CTA and help to develop and train workers linked to tourism, including in the areas of catering and hospitality. The Portuguese official recalled that the Portuguese language is the link that unites the countries of the community, but stressed that this cultural closeness must be accompanied by a concrete effort in business capacity building and economic promotion.
In the coming days, she said, the delegation is due to meet several Mozambican associations and bodies linked to tourism and catering. The work, she said, rests on three central axes: infrastructure development, improving the quality of services provided and strengthening human capital. In her view, these are the three decisive areas for the sector's progress, and it is now necessary to find a path of collaboration among all the bodies involved, so as to respond to the priorities of Mozambican tourism.
The aim of the mission, added Berta Montalvão, is precisely to define in the coming days how this collaboration can take concrete shape.
Salimo Abdula then returned to the essential argument: Mozambique has natural resources, tourism is a Government priority and also a commitment made by the CTA. But, he warned, there are two unavoidable needs for turning that potential into results: training and investment. Only then, he argued, will it be possible to make the most of the whole diversity of resources in the country — from beach tourism to hunting tourism, not forgetting the mountains and other offerings — and raise the quality of service.
Because, he reminded us, in tourism the experience is everything. When visitors are well served, they come back. When they leave disappointed, they do not return — and take with them a negative image of the destination. That is why, he concluded, Mozambique needs to approach this front with care and strategic vision.
