Mozambique attracting more tourists

Mozambique is enjoying a tourism boom, but it falls short of what officials in the large southeast African nation hoped for. According to the latest figures, tourism earned the nation $195 million last year, up $10 million from the previous year. This figure only accounts for hotels and other easily tracked income, not money spent in shops or for informal tours. More than 1.5 million people are visiting the country annually.

It’s easy to see why. There are long stretches of beautiful beaches and several national parks and reserves rich in wildlife. Gorongosa National Park, for example, has everything from warthogs to zebras. Other parks have large populations of buffalo, elephants, wildebeests, and leopards.

Tourism officials aren’t entirely happy, though, because they had hoped to get many more hotel reservations for this year because of the World Cup in South Africa. This extra influx of visitors isn’t happening, although they have noted that they’re getting some South Africans who are fleeing the football madness and going to a quieter country!

Have you visited Mozambique? Tell us about your trip in the comments section.