With the exception of Malawi which has relatively limited tourism resources in comparison to Mozambique, all other countries sharing borders with Mozambique are within the top 10 African tourism destinations.  This is an asset in itself, but it is also goes to show that Mozambique is underutilizing its tourism resources compared to its regional neighbors. On the positive side this speaks to the tourists’ willingness to travel to the region and alludes to Mozambique’s potential to tap into these international tourism markets. 




 On the negative side, the gap between Mozambique and its neighbors is a reflection of the fact that the overall image, product variety and quality of tourists experiences in Mozambique need improvement.  The tourism products and experiences available in Mozambique are quite unique – pristine beaches with wild marine life, but no big game viewing products.  In 2004 a consulting firm surveyed all international tour operators in Mozambique, as well as national ones offering tours to them and/or working as inbound tour operators, on behalf of GOM.  The tour operators were probed for which destinations are in direct competition with Mozambique.


  Although no competing country offered the same unique package of products and environment, the Indian Ocean islands (Mauritius, Seychelles, and Maldives) were identified as Mozambique’s main competitors.  The second tier of competitors is composed of Tanzania and Kenya (their coastline and isles) and a third features South Africa and Botswana.  There are also competitors that emerge from unique source markets (Brazil and Cape Verde, competing with Mozambique for the Portuguese speaking tourists, for example). 


Put together, the performance in these destinations gives a guide as to what may or may not be feasible for Mozambique. Table 5 below presents a general overview of how the global tourism market perceives Mozambique as a tourism destination. The assessment here is drawn from a marketing study conducted by the Mozambique government in 2004. The study documents the perspectives of intermediaries involved in selling Mozambique travel packages to UK, Germany, Portugal and South African tourists.   


Summarizing the tourism trends for Mozambique, nine features stand out:  

• Africa is capturing an increasing share of the global tourism market and Mozambique is securing a  fair share of that growth at an annual growth rate of 13%;

• Africa’s, and especially Mozambique’s, International Tourism Receipts are depressed mainly due to low number of tourists per 100 inhabitant, and lower expenditure per visiting tourist. Mozambique attracts 9 tourists less per 100 inhabitant, compared tot eh global average. Similarly, international tourism receipts in Mozambique were 1.7X, 2.5X, 3X, and 4.2X less than the average tourism receipts for Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas, respectively.  

•  Compared to other countries in the region, Mozambique receives relatively few intercontinental visitors;  


•  Only few of other countries on the African continent (Tanzania, and Kenya) offer a SSS-product akin to Mozambique’s, but they are further away from the Southern African countries;

•  Mozambique’s main leisure tourism product is Sun, Sand and Sea (SSS), which complements the tourism products in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, which do not have a SSS-product; 

•  Mozambique’s neighbor South Africa is head and shoulders above any other country in Africa (top 25 globally), putting Mozambique in a unique position to tap this market for travelers desiring to experience more than one African country and/or relax on the beach; 

•  Mozambique currently does not have wildlife viewing product – big game,24 which is the well-known sales-point for the inter-continental tourist visiting Africa. Instead, it has to rely on other countries in the region (e.g. RSA, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, Malawi, and Zimbabwe) for tourists wanting this experience)25;  


•  Mozambique is mainly sold by way of individual private customization by VFR and business tourists in inter-continental markets; 

•  In the commercial distribution system (international tour operators) in the intercontinental markets Mozambique is primarily sold as a unique add-on to other standards travel (Safari-) packages.  

•  Mozambique is almost exclusively sold by way of individual customization – put together either by the individual traveler or by a professional agent for the high-end tourist segment. This contrasts with the market share of standardized ‘group’ packages in the larger south- and eastern African countries.