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Despite the economic situation that the world, and Mozambique in particular, finds itself in, the provincial government of Nampula has examined and approved 14 new tourism sector investment projects worth about 134.7 million meticais in the first five months of this year alone.
Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism in Nampula Agostinho Zacarias says the number of projects assessed and evaluated comprises 57 percent of this year envisioned total. By December 2016, Nampula plans to have adopted 25 new tourism sector projects.
According to Zacarias, this year’s data reveal a marks a doubling of last year’s activity, when by this time only seven projects representing an investment of 63.2 million meticais had been assessed and approved.
“It is very strong growth, and this makes us happy, because once the projects approved begin to operate in the province we will have more people employed as a result of the jobs created,” he says.
However, due to the local and global economic crisis and the political and military tension in the central provinces of the country, as well as the pending completion of major economic developments in Nacala-a -Velha and Porto, Nampula saw few tourists in the first five months of this year.
Data indicates that the region welcomed 30,197 tourists from January to May this year, a decrease of 10,703 on the same period last year. Even so, the province raised about 135 million meticais from accommodation alone in the five months ending in May.
“The tourism area is very broad, and unfortunately we cannot control expenditure in other areas, such as restoration, for example. The thinking in this matter is that central government has to develop mechanisms [for that to transpire],” Zacarias said.
The hotel network in Nampula covers almost all districts, but it is mostly concentrated in the main cities including Nampula (the provincial capital), Nacala-Porto, Nacala-a-Velha, Mozambique Island and Mossuril.
Nampula currently has 588 tourist establishments of which 229 provide accommodation, 343 catering, 11 are travel agencies and five are night clubs.
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