Chinese-built bridge, roads in Mozambique boost local tourism

A local district in the Mozambican province of Maputo has witnessed a tourism boom and the related income doubling, due to the easier access to its major resorts brought by the cross-sea suspension bridge and its link roads built and financed by China, district authorities said on Tuesday.

Joao Tembe, head of a local administration of the district of Matutuine, told Radio of Mozambique that the increased number of tourists in the first six months of 2019 has allowed the government to collect over 1 million U.S. dollars revenue, compared to the half million in the same period of last year.

The administrator said the increase in the tourists flow is a direct benefit brought by the Maputo-Katembe bridge and the 187 kilometers of road inaugurated in November.

"In the first half of this year we have 162,000 tourists, with the majority of them being South Africans, but there is also an increase in the number of domestic tourists," said Tembe.

He said that this number is equivalent to an increase of 37.4 percent, and authorities have met more than half of the goal for tax collection.

"We have achieved more than half of our target, (at this pace) we might even go beyond it," Tembe told the national radio.

Bordering the south with South Africa and the west with Eswatini (the former Swaziland), Matutuine is the southernmost district of Maputo Province, which is known for its major tourist attractions including Bela Vista, Elephant Reserve and Ponta d'Ouro.