Mozambique launches courses to enter the golf tourism market

O Mozambican government announced that it intends to transform Chigamane, in the district of Vilankulo, into a new golf tourism destination, through a project whose construction started today and which aims to strengthen the tourist offer, attract visitors and create local employment.

The initiative was announced by the Presidency of the Republic after the launch of the first stone for the construction of golf courses by Mozambican President Daniel Chapo at a ceremony held in Chigamane, an integrated location in that tourist district of the province of Inhambane.

In a statement, the Presidency states that the project is a bet on the diversification of the tourist offer of Vilankulo, seeking to strengthen the attractiveness of the district and consolidate its position as a reference destination in the national and international tourist markets.

“The initiative aims to attract tourists from various regions of Mozambique and countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Zambia, creating conditions to boost the local economy, stimulate business development and increase the participation of national operators in the tourism value chain,” he says.

The project fits into the broader strategy defined by the Government to develop golf tourism in Inhambane province. In October, the executive approved the regulatory framework of the new Special Zone for Golf Tourism (ZETG), created to capture national and foreign investment and develop a high value added tourist segment.

Established by Decree No 56/2026, ZETG covers the districts of Vilankulo, Inhassoro, Massinga, Jangamo, Zavala and Govuro and may be extended in future to other areas of the province.

The diploma defines the objective of transforming Inhambane into a “platform of international excellence in the field of golf tourism, high standard hospitality, sophisticated leisure and specialized tourist investment”, while consolidating the province as Mozambique’s “Capital and National Tourism Pole”.

In this context, projects approved in the special area will benefit from their own incentive regime, including access to land reserved for investment, tax benefits, non-tax guarantees and priority in the return of dividends to foreign investors.

The model also provides for the establishment of the Golf Tourism Development Fund (FDTG) to finance infrastructure, technical training, international promotion, tournaments, community programmes for young people and environmental sustainability initiatives and local content.

The management of the area was attributed to the state-owned National Agency for the Integrated Development of Tourism (Anditur), responsible for supporting investors, facilitating licensing processes, issuing opinions on projects and seeking financing solutions for approved projects.

According to the note released today by the Presidency, the machines and equipment necessary for the execution of the works in Chigamane are already on site, allowing to advance the implementation of the project.

In addition to the tourist component, investment should produce economic and social benefits for local communities by creating jobs, especially for young people and women, and by promoting vocational training and skills development programmes.

Among the planned training areas, English language training is highlighted, considered by the Government as an important tool to improve the quality of care and services provided to international visitors.

In July, the governor of Inhambane, Francisco Pagula, told Lusa that the province planned to start the construction of the first golf course later this year, in a private investment estimated at five million dollars (4.3 million euros), and also in negotiation a second project inserted in the strategy of transforming Inhambane into a regional reference of the modality.