Enlisting Tourism to Preserve World Heritage. From Little Things, Big Things Grow.
Ilha de Moçambique—the Island of Mozambique—once a significant link in the centuries-old African trade route to India and Europe, has a fascinating past and a fabulous contemporary culture. It’s a heady blend of Makhuwa traditions, coastal Swahili style, a dash of Indian spice, and rounded off with Afro-European chic. In the last decades of the colonial era, Ilha de Moçambique reinvented itself as a tourism playground for the middle classes and wealthy foreigners but at the time of receiving World Heritage status in 1992 the tourism heyday was a distant memory.
It is well known that a World Heritage listing can raise awareness of a destination and that the increased visitation by curious tourists can help to stimulate the local economy. Up until quite recently people would pass through Ilha planning only to spend one or two nights—their intention was to visit the Fortaleza de São Sebastião, the museum, and to take photographs of the crumbling grandeur. This is easily achievable on a very short visit, however it injects very little into the local economy and consequently does little in terms of contributing to the preservation of this unique World Heritage site. Simultaneously, it fails to provide reason for the local population, most of whom live in poverty, to value the World Heritage designation.
Ilha offers the opportunity to really live this World Heritage site: to discover the vibrant life in Makuti Town, south of the hospital; enjoy local delicacies like Matapa sirisiri; dance at one of myriad pop-up discos along the Contracosta; taste Sanana; have a traditional N’siro facial; watch Tufo dancing; visit a curandeiro, a traditional healer; go on a Missanga treasure hunt; crisscross the island and get lost in the narrow, winding lanes; discover the secrets and traditions of Capulanas; revel in the pageantry of traditional festivals such as Day of the Mariner and Ztoziva, the local food festival; visit the markets; and enjoy contemporary food and wine with an Ilha twist in classic bars and rooftop restaurants. To preserve world heritage it is essential to have strong community participation. Interest from tourists generates local pride in culture, stories, and traditions, and engenders an appreciation of the environment.
Until recently there has been little international awareness of the potential for tourism on Ilha; visitor numbers were low and length of stay very short. However, this is beginning to change. Since 2012 Ilha Blue Island Safaris has been offering low-impact, small group tours and adventures by bicycle, sea-kayak, and traditional Arabic sailing dhow to explore the ancient capital of Mozambique. In this way Ilha Blue aims to ensure that the local population enjoys the benefits of living on a magnificent World Heritage island.