Maputo, Sept. 30, 2026 (Lusa) - In 2025, Maputo became Mozambique's leading tourist destination by volume, exceeding 2.1 million overnight stays and 616,000 guests for the first time, as the sector reached new highs in demand and employment nationwide.
According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), which Lusa accessed today, Mozambican hotels welcomed 2,133,138 guests in 2025, including both domestic and foreign visitors, 278,000 more than in 2024.
This growth was driven mainly by domestic tourism, which rose by 16.7%, from 1,097,864 domestic guests in 2024 to 1,280,961 in 2025.
The number of foreign guests also continued to grow, albeit at a more moderate pace, rising by 12.5% from 757,458 to 852,177.
In total, the country welcomed 715,971 more guests than in 2021, when accommodation establishments recorded 1,355,767 guests.
Overnight stays also reached a new high, with domestic guests generating 3,040,613 overnight stays in 2025, up 22% from the 2,492,847 recorded the previous year and more than double the 1,254,644 recorded in 2021.
Among foreign visitors, overnight stays rose from 2,281,766 to 2,531,320, an increase of 10.9%, representing cumulative growth of around 200% compared with the 843,367 recorded in 2021.
In total, tourist establishments in Mozambique recorded 5,571,933 overnight stays in 2025, up 797,000 from the previous year.
Maputo Province stood out as the country's main tourist destination, welcoming 616,354 guests – comprising both domestic and foreign tourists – in 2025, up from the 490,750 recorded in 2024, accounting for almost 29% of the national total.
Maputo also led in terms of the number of overnight stays, with 2,179,691 – 607,000 more than in the previous year and almost four times the 549,977 recorded in 2021.
The province alone accounted for 39% of all overnight stays recorded in the country's tourist establishments.
Inhambane, considered Mozambique's tourism capital, remained the country's second-largest tourism hub.
The province recorded 241,616 guests in 2025 and 1,602,158 overnight stays, remaining well ahead of the country's other tourist destinations and continuing to lead in foreign tourists.
Inhambane alone welcomed 144,466 foreign guests and recorded 1,126,834 overnight stays from this segment – the highest figures of any province.
Maputo City also maintained a strong position, with 418,634 guests and 453,537 overnight stays, while Maputo Province and Inhambane recorded even higher figures.
The data also show a strong recovery across the country. In Sofala, the number of visitors rose from 92,485 to 133,848 between 2024 and 2025, whilst in Niassa it increased from 60,365 to 85,161.
Cabo Delgado recorded one of the highest growth rates, rising from 44,716 to 60,603 guests, while it continues to build toward the performance of the leading national destinations.
Tourism activity also increased employment, with workers in hotel establishments rising from 80,196 to 91,216 in 2025, an increase of 13.7%.
In 2021, at the start of the time series provided by INE, the sector employed 4,977 workers, although trends in the data suggest methodological changes in calculating this indicator in subsequent years.
In 2025, Maputo City accounted for the largest number of workers in the sector, with 30,032, followed by Maputo Province, with 22,165.
Despite record highs in guest numbers, overnight stays and employment, tourism's economic weight showed a modest adjustment.
The National Statistics Institute (INE) estimates that the sector's direct Gross Value Added (GVA) grew from 52.4 billion meticais (€729 million) to 53.8 billion meticais (€748 million) between 2024 and 2025, whilst its direct contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) slipped from 3.61% to 3.57%.
PVJ/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
