Mozambique’s minister of Industry and Trade, Antonio Fernando, said that tourist arrivals increased from 771,000 in 2007 to 1.9 million in 2008 i.e. an increase of 253% over the previous year and 2.3 million in 2009 i.e. an increase of 122% over the previous year, state-run Radio Mozambique reported on Thursday

“The migration to the region rose from 650,674 immigrants in 2007 to 2.1 million (increase of 229.4% over the previous year) in 2008 and to 2.5 million in 2009 (an increase of 20% over the previous year), as a consequence of the abolition of entry visas to most SADC countries in 2007,” said Anthony Fernando.

Meanwhile, 55 Mozambican companies registered under the preferential trade to export to the SADC region, where “there was a reduction in customs revenue, but tax revenues grew globally by an average of 101 per cent,” said the minister.

“The fear that hovered on the launch of free trade zone that our country would become a large supermarket in neighboring countries has not materialized, indeed, an increase of our imports with the region of southern Africa,” said Fernando.

He added that exports to the region represented 18% of total exports, having risen to 19% in 2009 and 23% in the first half of 2010.

The telecommunications sector grew at an average of 126% per year since 2007 until last year, reaching only the first half of this year, 114% of traffic in 2009.

Source African Press Agency

African News from NetNewsPublisher.com

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