Mozambique Unrest Hits Tourism, South African Travel Agencies Cancel Trips
The ongoing political unrest in Mozambique has impacted tourism from South Africa and disrupted the operations of travel agencies, reported The Citizen.
Violent protests have plagued the country since the October 9 elections and intensified after the Constitutional Court upheld the results on December 23, confirming Daniel Chapo of the ruling FRELIMO party as the new president.
The latest wave of unrest, sparked by the court’s decision on Monday, has led to at least 33 deaths and 15 injuries in clashes with law enforcement.
Over 100 people have died since the protests began in October, as opposition leaders and citizens demand a vote recount, alleging that the elections were neither free nor fair.
Charity Ndlovu, a travel agent at Charmap Travel, said her company had to cancel all December trips to Mozambique due to the escalating violence. Said Ndlovu:
We have been losing business since the Mozambique protest started around October. In October, we had to rush out of Mozambique after the violent protest started. We were told to leave before midnight and forced to go via Swaziland.
Nozipho Ndzukula of iNozi Africa Tours, a travel agency that assists tourists in getting to Mozambique, said:
Since October, people have been cancelling their trips and due to the recent protests, we have seen more cancellations. About 65% of our bookings revolved around Mozambique.
Many of our clients are confused and frustrated due to the agency’s no refund policy because they paid for their yearly vacation but had to change plans or stay at home.
About 90% of the fee is nonrefundable. It only allows for a rescheduling of the trips or taking a different trip. As a small business, our company has been affected by the protest.
Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) spokesperson Simphiwe Shungube said that the recent unrest had affected their route from Mpumalanga to eSwatini via Mozambique.
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