Mozambique | Tourism’s contribution to GDP falls

The political and military tension seen in central and northern Mozambique led to the contribution of the hospitality and tourism industry to GDP falling by 4.1 percentage points between 2011 and 2013, Mozambican daily newspaper Correio da Manhã reported. The newspaper cited the secretary general of the Union of Hospitality and Tourism Industry Workers, Luis Macuácua, who said that in 2013 the weight of the sector in GDP was 7.9 percent versus 12 percent in 2011. Given the recent peace agreement signed between the two main political parties in Mozambique, Macuácua predicted that the sector will return to its previous contribution to the Gross Domestic Product of the country. Figures from the union showed that the hospitality and tourism industry has created about 52 000 jobs in at least 5,819 hotel and tourism establishments throughout 2013, representing an increase of more than 7,000 jobs over the previous year.