BY PHUMELELE GAMEDZE
MBABANE – Mozambican tourists are increasingly choosing Eswatini for its warmth and tranquillity, with the growing market presenting an opportunity to increase tourism spending and encourage longer stays in the Kingdom.
Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA) Chief Executive Officer Vusi Dlamini said Mozambique has become one of the markets showing significant growth, particularly as the country works to diversify its tourism base.
Dlamini said the growth was encouraging at a time when South Africa, traditionally Eswatini’s largest tourism market, recorded a 2.2 per cent decline.
“South Africa still contributes quite a large sum if you’re looking at the last period we are reporting, that’s about 300 000, a little bit more than that,” he said.
“But what comforts us is that we are seeing growth particularly from Mozambique quite a huge growth from Mozambique.”
According to Dlamini, the Mozambican market is particularly valuable because visitors from the country tend to be higher spenders.
“What is significant about the Mozambique market is that Mozambique is a little bit more high spenders compared to the tourists that come from South Africa,” he said.
He explained that attracting more Mozambican visitors could help increase tourism’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), particularly because the country uses the United States dollar.
“If we bring a bit more Mozambicans who are high spenders, then we are going to see how we translate that into sustained tourism spending and longer stays,” Dlamini said.
However, the appeal of Eswatini to Mozambican visitors is not only about money.
Dlamini said the ETA recently conducted a study to understand why Mozambicans travel to Eswatini, with tranquillity emerging as one of the key reasons.
“We really love the fact that they come for tranquility,” he said.
He recalled meeting a group of Mozambicans shortly after joining the ETA in 2024. When he asked them why they travelled to Eswatini on weekends, their response highlighted the personal experience they associate with the country.
“They said, ‘When you immediately cross the border, you can feel the warmth. You can feel the tranquility. We actually go there for tranquility,’” Dlamini recalled.
The response, he said, demonstrates the importance of preserving the welcoming character of Eswatini as part of its tourism appeal.
The growing relationship between the two countries is also extending into education tourism.
Dlamini said some schools in Mozambique are now making use of private schools in Eswatini, creating another reason for families to travel into the country.
“We also see a little bit of education tourism coming in because there are some schools in Mozambique that are now using some of our private schools,” he said.
Parents and relatives visiting children studying in Eswatini can contribute to tourism activity through accommodation, transport, restaurants and other services.
Dlamini said the growth from Mozambique forms part of the authority’s broader strategy to strengthen regional tourism markets.
With regional visitors able to travel relatively easily into Eswatini, the market offers opportunities to attract visitors for weekend breaks, events, education and leisure.
For the tourism industry, the growing Mozambican interest shows that Eswatini’s greatest tourism asset may sometimes be something simple: the feeling of peace and warmth visitors experience when they cross the border.
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(Courtesy Pic)
