Africa’s leading online hotel booking platform, Jovago.com, has expanded operations to Mozambique. More than a hundred hotels are already listed on the platform. The entry marks part of the growth scale set for year 2015 that includes opening of six new offices across the continent.
Mozambique’s tourism industry is undergoing a major growth curve; having risen from non-existent after the post-independence war in the early 1990s and set unprecedented record of world’s highest growth rate at 37% in 2005. Today, the industry attracts more foreign investment than any of the other sectors and accounts for about 6% of total employment in the country.
Commenting on the development, Paul Midy, CEO for Jovago, expressed optimism in the country’s potential, observing that “Mozambique has some of the most beautiful beaches on the continent complimented well by diverse attractions such as Gorongoza National Park and Cahora Bassa Dam.”
Jovago’s entry into Mozambique comes at a time when the country’s tourism sector is experiencing tremendous expansion in terms of investment and tourist arrivals; with an impressive 1‚283,016 tourists (14.9 percent increase) visiting the country during the 2013/14 season. Maputo, the capital city is enjoying hospitality standards set by internationally recognised brands such as Serena Hotels, Pestana and Radisson Blu among others.
According to the 2015 report by World Travel and Tourism Council, the sector contributed a total of MZN 34,8-billion ($900-million) in 2014, accounting for 7% of the country’s GDP. This is forecast to rise by 4,7-billion in 2015, and further projected to register a steady 6,5% growth per annum throughout the decade.
“Sustainable growth of the tourism industry is largely dependent on the hotel industry and infrastructure; our objective is to bring the sector up to speed through taking advantage of ICT” explains Francisco Trindade, the GM Jovago-Mozambique. “Being close to our customers and hotels is a major factor in business development and excellent customer care. Mozambique presents a very unique opportunity as it is one of the six Portuguese speaking nations in Africa,” he concludes.
Jovago-Mozambique office will open its doors in September to join the rest of Maputo-based AIG in Maputo.