Vilanculos sees drop in A snapshot of the week's airline news tourism numbers

VILANCULOS, the
popular coastal town in
southern Mozambique,
was visited by fewer tourists
during this year’s festive
season compared with
previous years, according to
industry players.
The town’s outgoing Mayor,
Suleimane Amugy, has
warned that if the military
tensions in the country
don’t improve, many tourism
establishments in Vilanculos
will likely be forced to
close their doors. He was
quoted in local newspapers
as saying: “The tourist
operators may be able to
pay wages to their workers
today and tomorrow but
there is no certainty about
the future.”
Jayne Janetzky, from Casa
Rex in Vilanculos, admits
that visitor numbers in
the area were down over
the December period and
that some lodges have
experienced hardship as
a result. She stresses,
however, that the area is
absolutely safe and that
at no stage was there a
direct security threat to
the visitors. The declining
tourism numbers were due
to a perceived security
threat and not an actual
threat. “It is always
regrettable when political
instability affects the
possible development of
a country. Investment in
Mozambique has enjoyed
a positive upsurge in the
past decade. I am sure
that every step possible is
being undertaken by the
Mozambican government
to solve the current issues,
which have, unfortunately,
impacted on several
sectors, tourism possibly
being the most affected,”
she says.
Comair Travel has also
seen a drop in demand for
Mozambique. According
to Megan D’Arcy, Comair
travel product manager,
the declining demand has
more to do with the fact
that Mozambique has
become quite an expensive
destination than that there
is political tension in the
country.
She says: “Comair Travel
will still be promoting and
selling Mozambique as
usual this year. Should the
situation change at any
stage, or if we are advised
by any specific property
that they are experiencing
difficulty, we will re-evaluate
any active promotion.”