Mozambican tourism is "breathing a sigh of relief" this holiday season in Inhambane. Even with the rising cost of living, the paradisiacal beaches of Vilankulo attract hundreds of tourists for the New Year's Eve.

After two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mozambican tourism is slowly recovering from drops in revenue caused by sanitary rules imposed by the authorities as measures to prevent the coronavirus.

Now, even with the high rate of inflation that is impacting people's lives, the coastal town of Vilankulo, in Inhambane province, continues to be the preferred tourist destination for citizens from almost all over the world.

Cited by DW Africa, the president of the Vilankulo Tourism Association, Yassin Amuji, revealed that in the last few days the city has received, on average, more than two hundred and fifty tourists per day, and that they want to start 2023 on the paradisiacal beaches of Vilankulo.

"The flights from South Africa have been coming in full and we have two more from Zimbabwe per week. These are numbers that show that Vilankulo has been a reference," said Amuji, who was pleased with the return of tourists to the city.

Inflation is pushing up the prices of essential goods with a direct impact on the cost of living for Mozambicans. As a result, many Mozambican citizens are unable to make reservations in hotels or restaurants located along the coast.

Paulo Muchanga, manager of one of the hotels, also told DW Africa that most of the reservations were made by Europeans and Africans who chose to spend New Year's Eve on the beaches of Inhambane. "We have a full house, we no longer have rooms available for New Year's Eve," he stressed.

Melody Mukamana is one of the many tourists staying in one of the city hotels enjoying the vacations. The Zimbabwean went to Inhambane accompanied by her family to celebrate the New Year.

"Mozambique is a welcoming country, so we always come here for New Year's Eve, since 2010. This time I invited my friends and their husbands to see the wonder this region offers," said Mukamana, who is already thinking of investing in Mozambique.

Emídio Nhantumbo, provincial director of culture and tourism, told the press that the local government hopes to raise more than 5 million euros from the movement of tourists during the end of year festivities.

"We hope that this year, 2022 to 2023, we will be able to receive more than 900 million meticais. But we still don't know the exact amount, because it will depend on the dynamics of all the tourists we will receive," concluded Nhantumbo.