Mozambique relaxes travel restriction to revive tourism

The Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi, speaking to the nation on Thursday night, announced a relaxation in the travel restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an attempt to revive the ailing tourism industry, Mozambican diplomatic missions can now resume the issuing of tourist visas.

Nyusi, in its speech, did not make clear whether tourist visas would be made available at the airports and other points of entry as they were prior before the pandemic outbreak in the country. The quarantine requirements have been relaxed. Any tourist arrivals will have to enter Mozambique with a negative PCR test for Covid-19, held within the previous 24 hours, will be exempt from quarantine, children under eleven years of age will be exempt from presenting a COVID-19 test in entering the country.

The validity of the PCR test will now be for 14 days to make life easier for anyone, Mozambican or tourist, who needs multiple entries into Mozambique in a short period; travelers who do not present a test result at the border will be obliged to go into quarantine for 14 days or take the test at their own expense. However, the announcement by the president is, of course, a welcome development to the tourism and hospitality sector and land-based casino operators in the country is no exception to this exciting report as it is in most cases land-based casino work hand-in-hand with tourism and of which the casinos in Mozambique are strategically located in hotel space. Mozambique boasts some fascinating land-based casinos, the oldest Polana casino in Maputo, and the Sol Libombos Hotel & Casino in Namaacha. This casino offers all the popular games like roulette, poker, blackjack to serve customers and tourists.

While the South Africa hotel giant Tsong Sun recently build a $17 million hotel that allows for casino space in Maputo close to the Polana casino, this is a testament to the favorable laws the government embarks upon to reduce the minimum company investment required for gaming companies from the previous $15 million to $8 million. The government policies to promote tourism just like its neighboring country South Africa has also seen Mozambique experience increasing numbers of tourists entering the nation this has been fundamentals to its economy and have made the country the go-to-place for investment and a place for tourist to visit for holidays due to its array of beach view and island destination experience you could not get anywhere.

According to the Mozambique National Statistics Institute figure, the tourism sector in 2019 has seen an increase in revenue of 4 percent profit obtained for each overnight stay in tourist units compared to the previous year. Although the crisis has affected some 21,000 jobs since the Covid-19 outbreak surfaced in the country, this figure was announced by the sector union. Most of the establishments have been closed, placing 21,000 workers equivalent to 33% of the 64,000 throughout the country in deep uncertainty, said Luis Macuacua, secretary-general of the National Union of Hotel, tourism, that has seen seven thousand workers have been laid off, another 7,000 have seen their contracts suspended.

About 6,000 sent on vacation, according to the source. Definitely, in the coming months, we expect the Mozambique ailing tourism and hospitality sector to gradually pick up after several months of border closure and airspace, while the casino operators are also likely to be positive with their business survival during this global uncertainty.

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