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Moz eyes World Cup windfall
12/11/2007 16:02 - (SA)
Pemba - Mozambique's proximity
to South Africa and lower crime rate makes it a perfect staging
ground for soccer teams and their fans during the 2010 World
Cup, a senior Mozambican official said on Monday.
Deputy Minister of Tourism Rosario Mualeia told Reuters that
the impoverished southern African nation hoped to lure to its
shores at least 150 000 tourists, or about one third of those
expected to visit host nation South Africa during the World Cup.
Mozambique, which is known for its pristine sandy beaches
and quaint colonial cities, is also negotiating to host training
and base camps for some of the teams that will qualify for the
finals.
"We are near to South Africa and the crime rate in
Mozambique is not as high as the host nation," Mualeia said in
an interview in the northern Mozambican city Pemba.
"Many fans would be prefer to be in a quiet place and
Mozambique has the environment for that."
Safe tourist destination
Unlike South Africa, which is grappling with one of the
world's highest levels of violent crime, Mozambique is generally
seen as a safe tourist destination in Africa, with attacks on
foreigners a rare occurrence.
The Mozambican government plans to spend at least $600m on hotels, casinos and other leisure facilities as part
of an effort to capitalise on the tourism boom expected during
the one-month World Cup, which begins on June 11, 2010.
Although one of the world's poorest countries, Mozambique is
experiencing an economic boom, and tourism revenues have
provided crucial foreign exchange for the government's public
works programmes.
The bulk of Mozambique's infrastructure, particularly its
roads and ports, were destroyed during a 17-year civil war that
ended in 1992.
"We expect to earn more than $150m from tourism this
year and to double that in four years as more Europeans discover
sand and sun in Mozambique," Mualeia said. Tourism generated
$144m for the former Portuguese colony in 2006.
The bulk of the country's visitors come from South Africa,
Italy, Germany and a handful of other nations.
- Reuters
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