MAPUTU – The Mozambique Tourism Authority, (INATUR), has officially withdrawn from Indaba 2015, which will take place in Durban from May 9 to 11.
This announcement was made during a live news bulletin in the neighbouring country this week. The reason for this seemed to be the acts of xenophobia in South Africa and Durban in particular.
The violent incidents had been condemned by South Africa’s department of tourism and its marketing agency SA Tourism, while the department maintained last week that tourism to SA was unaffected by these.
Tourism expert Mr Onne Vegter told Lowvelder that xenophobia did affect the industry. “It is a public-relation disaster for us, as our country is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons. As South Africans we all know, xenophobic violence is aimed at foreign immigrants, mostly shop owners, who are perceived as a threat by some locals. Unemployed and angry, a few small-minded thugs think that foreign immigrants are taking their opportunities, their jobs and their wives, and decide to chase them back to their own countries by looting and burning shops and attacking the shop owners and their families.”
He was also of the opinion that this was terrible news for tourism in Mozambique. “It is already not an easy destination to sell – now the country is set to lose out even more on possible future tourism. I wish INATUR had considered this more carefully. Yes, the incidents were terrible, but Mozambique need to make use of each and every opportunity to grow confidence and interest as a travel destination with the local and international operators.”
The CEO of SA Tourism, Mr Thulani Nzima, said exhibitors who were planning to attend this year’s indaba with the INATUR would still have the opportunity to exhibit at the show as individuals.
He said SA Tourism had been informed on Monday April 27 that the INATUR was withdrawing. According to Nzima, the Democratic Republic of Congo had also withdrawn from the show. “They haven’t given us the reasons for withdrawal. He said SA Tourism was aware that some of the tourism boards would be concerned about xenophobia, however, he suggested that this was not so much because of the xenophobic activities, but rather to make a statement.
The marketing manager of the INATUR, Mr Jeremias Manussa, said those who had paid to exhibit with the authority would be refunded, or they could choose to use the money for the next trade show, such as World Travel Market in London, in which INATUR was taking part.
