With South Africans starting to plan for the upcoming Easter and school holidays, questions about Mozambique’s safety are at the forefront. Agents and tour operators are urging caution while the situation remains on a knife edge.
Joanne Adolphe, CEO of Thompsons Holidays, noted a rising number of enquiries but said clients were hesitant to book due to the ongoing uncertainty.
“Clients are looking to travel to Mozambique in March, for the Easter holidays and school holidays, but they are a bit nervous. They come to ask us if it is going to be safe, but we can't say that for sure.”
Adolphe highlighted the importance of travel insurance, which is often overlooked by South Africans travelling to Mozambique. She added that although travellers should have travel insurance when travelling to Mozambique regardless of the socio-political climate, the instability made the matter of insurance even more imperative.
Looking ahead, agents are still urging clients to be cautious over the next few months. An anonymous source from an agency that specialises in Mozambique, said they were not sending travellers to the country because they were still seeing signs of instability.
They explained that in the coming months, speeches from the opposition party leader might continue to result in demonstrations and disruption to travel.
Looking ahead
Agents and operators are continuing to monitor the situation closely. In December, Thompsons issued an advisory to its clients about the situation on all its quotes, telling clients that they must be aware of the demonstrations.
“Although we advised them, they've got to make their own decision as to whether they will continue with their travel,” said Adolphe.
Some operators are reporting signs of stability returning to parts of the country. According to Stephanie von Allmen, GM of Mozambican tour operator, Dana Tours, Maputo has been relatively calm and returned to normal in the past week or so.
“Border posts are also operational and allow movement in and out of the country without incident. Maputo Airport is calm and continues to receive both fly-in and fly-out guests. We have also been able to run transfers to the airport and eSwatini border as well as some Maputo city tours without incident.
“While the past two months were challenging and we continue to closely monitor the situation on the ground, we are hopeful of better days to come for Mozambique and its people. In the meantime, we continue to welcome guests into Mozambique and will continue to do our outmost to ensure they have a fulfilling experience in this amazing country,” she said.
