The not-so-long and winding road…
THE new Mozambique
highway, which
opened in November
last year, as well as the
opening of Africa’s longest
suspension bridge, the
Maputo-Catembe bridge,
has improved travel time
between Maputo and Kosi
Bay and several popular
southern Mozambique
tourist spots.
Nikki Wiedemann, a
representative of The
Best of Mozambique, a
collaboration of four- and
five-star hotels and eco
lodges working together
to promote Mozambique,
says travel time from
Maputo to White Pearl
Resorts in Ponta Mamoli
is now 90 minutes and
from Maputo to Kosi
Bay is approximately two
hours. She says Anvil
Bay and White Pearl
Resorts, both in southern
Mozambique, have seen
a steady increase in
self-drive options for
the local Mozambique
community. “The selfdrive South Africans,
however, continue to enter
Mozambique through
Kosi Bay to visit southern
Mozambique.”
Quick transfers
Nikki adds that agents are
motivated to sell southern
Mozambique as the
transfer time from Maputo
International has been
reduced from three to
four hours to 90 minutes.
“Guests prefer to spend
less time travelling so
that they have more time
to spend at their final
destination.”
There has been a slight
increase in interest for
self-drive, generally from
keen fishermen towing
their boats and holidaymakers towing trailers and
four wheelers up north to
Bilene or Inhambane, says
Carla Fernandes, sales
and marketing manager of
Southern Sun Maputo.
Significant difference
Natalie Tenzer-Silva,
director of Dana Tours,
says while she does not
receive many requests for
self-drive options due to
long distances between
destinations, the bridge
and road have made a
significant difference.
“Ponta do Ouro, a popular
diving destination for
South African tourists,
has had an enormous
number of visitors as a
result. Generally most
visitors doing self-drive
don’t venture beyond
Inhambane province.”
The Kosi Bay border is
630km from Johannesburg
and 460km from Durban
and is open seven days a
week. Visitors entering at
the Ressano Garcia border
post can also travel to
Ponta do Ouro on tar via
Boane and Bela Vista.
However, the tar road
ends at the beginning of
Ponta do Ouro town.
From that point on
the roads are in poor
condition and a 4x4
vehicle is required. While
plans are in the pipeline
to build a park-and-ride
facility at the end of the
tar road, it is yet to be
completed.
Cruise pax taste Mozambique
MSC Orchestra will make
her maiden voyage to Africa
and cruise in Southern
African waters, including
stops in Mozambique from
November 17 to April 14,
2020.
Ross Volk, md of MSC
Cruises South Africa, says
the ship is the same size
and class as MSC Musica,
which visited South African
shores for the first time in
2018 and will be returning
late next year. “These two
ships are the largest and
most luxurious ships that
MSC Cruises has brought
to South Africa,” he says.
MSC Orchestra can host
3 223 passengers in
1 275 cabins and has
four restaurants offering
buffet to fine dining, and
eight indoor bars, three of
which have live music and
a dance floor. Children are
well catered for at any of
the four children’s clubs,
ranging from Baby to Teen
Clubs. “Besides enjoying a
show at the Covent Garden
Theatre, passengers can
make use of the fully
equipped gym and sports
centre or relax in the MSC
Aurea Spa, an authentic
Balinese spa,” says Ross.
MSC Orchestra’s
Mozambique itineraries
for the upcoming season
include 14 sailings from
Durban to Portuguese
Island – a three-night cruise
– and 11 sailings from
Durban to Pomene – a fournight cruise. The ship will
also do five sailings from
Durban to both Portuguese
Island and Pomene, which
is a five-night cruise.
For both Pomene and
Portuguese Island, activities
include snorkelling, cultural
tours and sea kayaking.
MSC Orchestra will also
cruise to Cape Town,
Mauritius, Walvis Bay,
Lüderitz and Port Elizabeth.
Ross says conference
cruising is an important
market for MSC Cruises
and its offering is actively
promoted to corporate
travel agents and
conference organisers.
“Conferences on board
a ship offer a premium
experience, yet also
offer good value as fares
include accommodation, all
meals, entertainment and
conferencing facilities.”
MSC Orchestra has five
meeting rooms, the biggest
of which can host 1 240
guests. “There is a wide
range of options available,
both in terms of budget and
experiences, so companies
are able to create tailormade packages.
“Group bookings of more
than 12 cabins qualify for
a reduced rate. Groups
also get one free cruise
fare for every 23 guests
booked. This is limited
to a maximum of 10 free
cruise fares per booking.
All MSC Cruises’ fares
are commissionable at
attractive rates. Conference
bookings are a great way
for agents to increase their
earnings. Agents can earn
additional commission
by upselling cabins
and promoting pre-paid
packages,” says Ross.
Mozambique tourism weathers the storm
EARLIER this year, two cyclones left
a devastating trail of damage and
destruction in the country.
Cyclone Idai affected Sofala,
Zambezia, Tete, Manica and
Inhambane provinces, with Beira,
in the Sofala province, having
experienced the brunt of the storm.
Beira is not considered a tourist hub.
Six weeks after Cyclone Idai, the
even more devastating Cyclone
Kenneth made landfall in northern
Mozambique between the districts of
Macomia and Mocimboa da Praia in
Cabo Delgado province.
Priority
Mozambique’s Minister of Culture
and Tourism, Silva Armando Dunduro,
released a statement in May saying
while the country was still trying
to recover from these two natural
disasters, tourism was of utmost
importance for Mozambique and
special attention would be given to
the priority destinations defined by the
government, which included Maputo
city and Maputo Province, Vilanculos
and Bazaruto Archipelago, Gorongosa,
Ilha de Moçambique (Mozambique
Island), the Quirimbas Archipelago,
with extension to Lake Niassa, and
Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces.
“Fortunately,” says The Best of
Mozambique’s Nikki Wiedemann,
“both cyclones had minimal effect on
tourism. The positive outcome has
been that, with the help of the media,
Mozambique has been put on the map
and the outpouring of assistance from
the world has been overwhelming.
The long-term effects on the country
and its people still require many
months of repair and continued
funds to restore it to a manageable
existence.”
Nikki says although the cyclones
have had life-changing effects on the
country and its people, there should
be no concern for tourists. “The
tourism sector is fully operational and
travellers can expect to continue to
experience a country that offers an
array of unique cultures and activities.”
Dana Tours’ Natalie Tenzer-Silva
says the only effect on tourists
was that some clients had to have
itineraries shifted due to a delay in
the opening of some areas, such
as Gorongosa Park, which were
closed for the rainy season when
the cyclones hit.
New villas at Polana
POLANA Serena Hotel in Maputo
has opened its new private villas,
Villa Mar, aimed at business
travellers on long stays and leisure
travellers wanting a romantic or
quiet getaway. Karin Sieberhagen,
Serena Hotels, Lodges and
Resorts’ SA sales and marketing
manager, says Villa Mar has
eight one- and two-bedroomed
independent villas offering views of
the Indian Ocean.
She says the villas include an
open-plan living and dining area
connected to a kitchenette. The
master bedrooms have en-suite
bathrooms and dressing rooms.
“Each villa also has a patio
that leads to an outdoor, shaded
seating and dining area, and a
secluded garden. Security and
dedicated parking slots will be
available for all guests. The villas
were designed with complete
privacy as the objective,” she says.
Facilities include 24-hour room
service, the Maisha Health Club,
complimentary Wifi access and
basic housekeeping.
“We also have several special
Polana benefits on offer that
include a 15% discount on food
and beverage, 20% discount on
buffet breakfast at Varanda, the
all-day-dining restaurant, 15%
discount on spa treatments and
merchandise, 20% discount on
laundry and dry-cleaning services,
and special negotiated rates for
catering services,” says Karin.
More connections please!
THE codeshare agreement
announced in April by fastjet
Mozambique and Linhas
Aéreas de Moçambique
(LAM) has meant increased
flights on Beira, Quelimane
and Tete routes.
Fastjet also offers
daily flights from Maputo
International Airport to
Beira, Tete and Quelimane
with its partner, Solenta
Aviation Mozambique.
Under the agreement
fastjet and LAM sell seats
on each other’s flights
on these routes using
their respective airline
codes. The fastjet group
corporate communications
representative told TNW
the codeshare agreement
provide both leisure and
business travellers with
more choices and ease
of connections for a
more convenient travel
experience.
Double-daily return flights
between Maputo and Beira
are now available, as is a
daily frequency between
Maputo and Quelimane. On
the Maputo-Tete route there
is an increase.
Despite the increased
airlift, Dana Tours’ Natalie
Tenzer-Silva says travel
around Mozambique
remains a challenge
for agents selling the
destination. “We need
more flight connections
with the tourism spots
in the south, centre and
north of the country. There
are sufficient connections
between major cities,
but the tourism market
requires flight connections
between Vilanculos and
Nampula and Inhambane
and Beira, for example, to
be able to ensure more tour
combinations. Currently
tourists have to keep flying
via Maputo to enable these
combinations,” she says.
But the fastjet team says
no new routes are currently
on the fastjet Mozambique
radar while the country
recovers from the recent
cyclones. “The group
will remain focused on a
flexible deployment model
in Mozambique that is
intended to stand fastjet in
good stead. The company is
now in a position to pursue
geographic expansion by
means of either a franchise,
joint venture or ownedoperation deployment.
Importantly, the deployment
model for a given country is
not static and may change
over time,” the team says.
Spotlight on the north
WHILE South Africans
generally head to the
south of Mozambique, the
north offers gems that
should not be missed.
Ilha de Moçambique,
Pemba, Nampula and the
Quirimbas Islands are just
a few of the spots worth
including in an itinerary.
Trienke Lodewijk,
owner of Nuarro Lodge
in northern Mozambique,
says the north is pristine,
remote and truly an
undiscovered gem. “The
diving and snorkelling are
world class.”
Pemba has an
international airport with
flights between Pemba and
South Africa operated by
several carriers, including
SA Airlink, LAM, SAA, Kenya
Airways, and Ethiopian
Airlines. “There are five
flights per week with Airlink
from SA to Pemba, and
six a week to Nampula.
From Pemba and Nampula
there are flight and road
transfers to lodges,
including Nuarro,” says
Trienke.
As this issue went to
press, TNW heard that
Airlink will increase
Johannesburg – Pemba
frequencies from five
per week to six, adding
in a Tuesday flight, from
September 24.
Most visitors head to
Wimbe Beach, which is
5km east of Pemba’s
downtown area. Also on
most itineraries is a visit to
Paquitequete, a township
with a waterside fish
market and iconic mosque,
a cemetery, and a look-out
point where visitors get a
view of the world’s thirdlargest natural harbour.
Pemba is definitely one
of Mozambique’s up-andcoming destinations.
Ilha de Moçambique (or
Mozambique Island) is a
Unesco World Heritage Site
and for those who want to
step back into history is
the perfect destination. A
flight to Lumbo Airport on
the Nampula mainland is
the fastest way to access
the island. A 3km bridge
connects the island to the
mainland. Like Pemba it
is a beach destination but
also has historic buildings
worth a visit.
While the journey to the
Quirimbas Archipelago
can be arduous, it is well
worth the visit. A favourite
amongst visitors is to hire
a local dhow and explore.
Visas – what you need to know
THE recent announcement
of the increase in visa
fees for Mozambique has
resulted in confusion in
the industry.
Nikki Wiedemann of
The Best of Mozambique,
says the confusion is
mainly because the
increase only applies to
visas that are obtained at
international embassies
and consulates prior to
travelling. “The cost of a
visa obtained on arrival
remains at US$50 (R761),
subject to the exchange
rate of the day. This has
been confirmed at the
Ressano Garcia border,
Maputo and Vilanculos
airports,” she says.
The cost of a singleentry visa obtained prior
to arrival and valid for 30
days, has increased to
US$100/€90 (R1 522),
based on the local rate
of MZN62,52. “Although
the new prices have
been issued, we have
received reports that the
new rates have not yet
been implemented by all
the high commissions,
embassies and
consulates abroad,” she
says.
Travellers planning to
get a visa on arrival need
to ensure their passport
is valid for at least six
months after departure
from Mozambique and
has a minimum of two
empty pages. They also
need confirmation of
accommodation and
onward flight tickets,
and cash, preferably in
new notes and small
denominations.
On a positive note…
The Mozambique
Government is developing
an online visa platform
that will simplify
and standardise the
application process. When
this will be complete is
unclear at this stage.
