The Southern African Development Community (SADC) are preparing to use the World Cup to be held in South Africa in 2010 to promote the tourism in the region.

Tourism authorities of Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Swaziland are working together to assess joint strategies in the area of infrastructures in the view of expected thousands of visitors to the region during the tournament.

According to Mozambican Tourism Minister Fernando Sumbana, the assessment work is being undertaken by a recently created inter-ministerial committee that was charged with the task of identifying and promoting tourism projects in the eight countries involved in the initiative.

The results of the study are to be submitted for approval by the heads of state and government of the SADC in their 2006 annual meeting, following which they will design ways to raise the necessary funds.

"We are striving to turn this region into a tourism destination of international recognition", said Sumbana.

He explained that the objective is not just to satisfy tourists' demands in terms of accommodation during the World Cup, but also, and essentially, to promote and develop tourism in these countries.

The job of the inter-ministerial commission is to be done in two phases, the first of which is to be completed by 2010, and the other, from that date, will be to consolidate the projects carried out so far, to render them sustainable and profitable.

On the Mozambican side, about 30 million US dollars are available for the implementation of a plan in the different parks, including the Great Limpopo Park, that involves Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and also in the Chimanimani park, in the central Manica province.

The Gorongosa national Park, in the central Sofala province, has recently received about 550 thousands US dollars to rehabilitate its various infrastructures, and to restock the park.

Besides, the French Development Foundation granted 5.2 million euros to rehabilitate various infrastructures in the Mozambique's National Quirimbas Park, in the northern Cabo Delgado province in 2004.

Source: Xinhua