Maputo — The northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado received about 35,000 tourists in 2008, 16,000 less than the 51,000 who visited the province in 2007.

The chairperson of the Cabo Delgado Hotels and Tourism Association, Chabane Cumbe, blamed this reduction on the international financial crisis, because most tourists visiting Cabo Delgado are from western countries. For the first seven months of 2007, the rampant speculation in the oil markets drove up the price of fuel and hence the price of air travel. Subsequently the oil price has fallen, and airlines have cut fares - but a severe recession has hit consumer spending.

To minimise the effects of this situation, the province is strongly encouraging Mozambicans to visit the Cabo Delgado tourist resorts.

"At the same time we are investing in the quality of the services provided, particularly by stepping up staff training in this sector", said Cumbe.

He added that 'we intend to invest in building new tourist resorts that may also benefit people on low incomes, particularly Mozambican tourists, to ensure the sustainability of the tourism industry, if there is a further reduction in international tourism'.

Some of those units will be built as part of a national tourism project, known as 'Kapulana', aimed at building quality hotels and boarding houses in all districts across the country, some of which currently lack anywhere of acceptable quality where visitors can stay.

The idea of the project, run by the Tourism Development Fund (FUTUR), is to develop tourism in the most remote areas of the country. It is part of the government's efforts to relaunch tourism, an activity that contributes about 5 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Cumbe stressed that, in terms of accommodation, Cabo Delgado has recorded significant growth, with the number of beds increasing from about 900 in 2007 to 1,100 in 2008. "This is not the ideal, but I must note that it represents a significant growth", he said..

He attributed this growth mainly to the building of two tourist complexes in Mocimboa da Praia district, one in Mueda, and a further two in Pemba, the provincial capital.