Emirates airline has officially suspended ticketing for all licensed travel agencies in Mozambique, due to the shortage of foreign currency (especially dollars) on the domestic market, as well as difficulties in repatriating foreign currency revenue.

The measure, which came into force on Monday (13), means that Mozambican agencies can no longer issue Emirates tickets and will have to rely on foreign intermediaries.

Muhammad Abdullah, CEO of Cotur, one of Mozambique's main travel agencies, told journalists that Emirates' decision to suspend local agencies' access to its ticketing system represents a serious problem for the country's tourism.

"In practice, it means a total loss of operational autonomy. This measure has immediate and deeply worrying effects for the sector. Although the suspension came into force recently, the problems behind this decision go back to 2023, with currency restrictions and the increasing difficulty for carriers to transfer their revenues outside the country," he lamented.

Cited by AIMAbdullah explained that Emirates is the first company "to take drastic measures, but all international airlines are facing the same problem".

"If nothing is done, others will follow suit. Other companies affected by the same problem are Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Rwandair, TAAG and TAP Air Portugal, which have already started limiting local SOTO (Sold Outside, Ticketed Outside) ticketing," he added.

Abdullah believes that Emirates' decision will harm the country by making travel more expensive and logistically complex. "Travel agencies lose margin and competitiveness, and passengers, especially corporate travelers, face delays, additional costs and loss of flexibility," he said.

"This also leads to the risk of events and conferences being canceled due to logistical instability. In addition, it causes a loss of institutional credibility due to the blockade and delays in access to foreign currency," he added.

"This situation undermines confidence in the national financial system and in the country's ability to guarantee exchange rate stability and predictability for foreign companies. Tourism is a strategic and transversal sector - if this ecosystem collapses, the effects will extend to hotels, conferences, transportation and tax revenues," warned Abdullah.

Abdullah, who is also head of travel agencies and tour operators at the Confederation of Business Associations of Mozambique (CTA), said: "We need to normalize access to foreign currency and create transparent mechanisms for repatriating funds. Only in this way can we avoid progressive air isolation and guarantee the sustainability of a sector that is vital for economic development and Mozambique's image as a tourist and business destination."