The Mozambican Government has reported that over 13,000 foreign citizens have used only a border visa to enter Mozambique. Minister of Culture and Tourism, Eldevina Materula, stated that of these exemptions, "more than 10,000" entered Mozambique for tourism purposes, and the remaining three thousand for business. This shows that the Government's measures have positively affected the tourism industry, with a new pattern of tourists emerging. The top five nationalities entering Mozambique are American, British, Portuguese, Chinese, and German, with 7,927 tourists since the visa exemption was implemented in May.
Mozambique's tourism industry experienced a significant increase in revenue in 2022, with a growth rate of 81.2% compared to the previous year. Inhambane welcomed 197,054 tourists, accounting for 22.4% of the country's total visitors. The minister attributes these numbers to revitalizing the tourism sector after COVID-19 restrictions and successfully implementing economic acceleration measures. These measures include interventions in the tax area, economic stimulation, improvements in the business environment, increased transparency and governance, and acceleration of strategic infrastructure projects.
It is essential to mention that in December 2022, Mozambique implemented the Electronic Visa (e-Visa) system. Additionally, as of May 1st of this year, citizens from 29 countries are exempt from visa requirements. The revision of investment visa regulations allows foreign citizens with investments in Mozambique to receive long-term visas. Moreover, the requirements for obtaining a business visa have been simplified, now requiring the same criteria as the tourist visa, as stated by the minister.