Mozambique in a rat race for 2010 (As I see it)

Certainly the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will bring great benefits from a micro to a macro scale, with the tourism sector obviously getting the bigger cake. Our hope is to see the whole neighbouring region cultivating dividends from this long awaited soccer extravaganza. As the clock ticks, it seems like some countries are running out of time, with no clear defined projects on how to get the most from this event.

As a Mozambican, just like any African neighbour to South Africa I thought the world cup in Africa wouldn’t only be an exhibition of soccer talent and skills but also an event presenting business opportunities for the various economic sectors of the region especially tourism. I am however disappointed on Mozambique‘s developments in achieving positive results from this soccer event.

When approached on what positive effects the world cup will bring to Mozambique, president of the federation of football had his own limitations. He sighted the lack of football camping centres. He noted that hotels are far away from the only possible stadium that may be used as the training camp. Sad enough is the fact that the stadium is still under construction to be finished in 2010.Certain countries have manifested their interest in staying here, unfortunately we need to create the desired conditions to host these teams. A clear proposal by form of a project should be presented to lure teams. Telling them that Mozambique has a warm welcoming atmosphere with no violence is not sufficient to convince them.

Soccer fans will be coming down to South Africa to watch their countries play and obviously most will be coming to Africa for the first time. South Africa is known as the rainbow nation, it represents Africa well with its diverse rich cultural heritage, and Mozambique as a neighbouring state has the potential to attract soccer fans. It is note worthy that of course as a neighbouring country our efforts need to be doubled. Hotels shouldn’t be the only source of attraction to accommodate and host these nations. We need to know that as tourists coming mostly from Europe, they would be spending their dollars in our country and will prefer as a majority to be accommodated themselves as close as possible to the soccer venues. That means besides upgrading our accommodation we need a conducive environment to further attract tourists. We need a good road transport system which at the moment is a disgrace. Waste management needs to be seriously addressed. Our tropical beach and the road leading to it is a shame. We also need an attractive investment environment with less bureaucratic laws considering the possibilities of those tourists who would be maximizing this opportunity into exploring business prospects in the region with perspectives of future business ventures.

In Mozambique the ministry of tourism is optimistic that we will be receiving lot of tourists especially from the Latin speaking countries. He has made contacts with countries and they are promises that some national teams may camp here. He is working with hotels to see they expand them to increase the number of beds. However some hotels are skeptically in taking this risk because of the lack of vision of what the future holds after the world cup. They need assurance that the extra added facilities will be worth it in 2 years time or so.

An interesting fact to note is that very few hotels have the capacity to make online bookings over the internet. We know that most Europeans make most of their transactions electronically over the internet. It’s a service we lack which in my opinion, would help in attracting tourists from Europe. We do have a Mozambican portal where tourists can get all the information about the country but it’s so shallow it actually doesn’t do much for someone who doesn’t know the country. With most hotels using the traditional deposit system for making reservations, we certainly are losing here.

A profound study should have been done in order to have a clear projection in achieving the economic benefits that the world cup could bring in the short and long run. It is clear that for South Africa a lot will be reaped from this event even after the tournament is over. I personally feel the government didn’t do enough to prepare itself for this soccer event because up to now nothing concrete has been done to meet the expectations of the world cup so eminent. The problem of litter persist; our poor road transport infrastructure (with the exception of a few routes being repaired which of course don’t have any impact overall) to mention just a few examples.

A good marketing strategy would cost the government but it is a must if we are to benefit from the world cup. A well designed project showing what the country can offer in a form of dedicated website for the world cup can do. Verbal dialogues are a waste of time. With a few months to kick off we can pray and hope that this event brings us dividends.