Mozambique – for a long time an insider tip for experienced travelers – is rapidly gaining popularity with visitors from all around the world. Its outstanding and unique natural wealth plays a key role in the country’s enormous tourism potential. A special example of this is Bazaruto Archipelago National Park – a marine reserve home to numerous protected species including sharks, dolphins and dugongs. The National Park comprises five islands and three of them have around 7,000 residents.
Today the Park is facing threats: Exponential population growth in the region, climate change, unregulated development as well as waste pollution have negatively impacted the area’s biodiversity and the livelihoods of the local community.
Significant efforts have been taken to combat the overuse of natural resources, illegal fishing practices and poorly regulated tourism activities. Together with African Parks the TUI Care Foundation is now boosting these efforts to protect this unique natural habitat.
TUI Sea the Change Mozambique improves the long-term sustainability of Bazaruto Archipelago National Marine Park by engaging the local community and the tourism industry. To protect the 1,430 km² of the Park’s coastline, a carrying capacity study on the most popular dive sites is being undertaken and 10 buoys for slow zones, no-take zones and mooring will be installed. A skipper licensing system is also being introduced to train 150 skippers on how to enforce regulations around maritime activities.
Sustainable tourism experiences will be created to attract at least 25,000 people participating in marine experiences annually. The newly created experiences will be offered by licensed local skippers and local small and medium enterprises that service the islands and use the mooring buoys. This will ensure proper economic participation of the local communities.
The initiative also focuses on supporting community development, including raising awareness of the park’s activities. 7,000 locals will be engaged in awareness raising activities on marine conservation and will get involved in conservation campaigns; 2,000 fishers will receive training on sustainable fishing practices. In addition, community members will be trained in key skills to improve their livelihoods.
TUI Sea the Change Mozambique is supported by the Tourism for Development Fund, which was launched by the TUI Care Foundation in collaboration with UN Tourism to support the sustainable development of tourism in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Mobilising at least €10 million until 2030, the Fund supports projects designed to increase the capacity of destination communities, which will improve their livelihoods, conserve and regenerate nature, and create market-based solutions that benefit communities in tourism destinations. Alongside Mozambique, targeted LDCs include Cambodia, Laos, Rwanda, Senegal, The Gambia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
