Tourism operators suggest more options in Local Areas Links

Currently, all flight departures are from Luanda and operated by almost a single airline, the national flag carrier, TAAG, suggesting the need to introduce other operators into the market.

Speaking to ANGOP today, Monday, Jorge Nunes, promoter of the digital platform Hoteisangola.com, stated that at a time when the 2nd Ministerial Conference of the UN Tourism and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is underway, an event that highlights Angola's prominence, the reality shows that transportation continues to be one of the major obstacles to tourism development.

"If we look closely, the most common form of transportation used by tourists to travel within Angola is, inevitably, by plane, but the country has practically only one airline operating connections between provinces, and all connections must pass through Luanda," he noted.

For the promoter, it is necessary to promote direct connections between several provincial capitals, as currently, anyone wanting to fly from Benguela to Moçâmedes must go through Luanda, which he believes makes no sense, as it is an "ineffective model" that, in addition to increasing the cost of travel, wastes time and makes tourism unviable.

"Yesterday, for example, once again, TAAG canceled the flight to Moçâmedes at the last minute, without prior notice or justification, and tourists, businesspeople, and citizens were forced to cancel meetings, events, and previously scheduled obligations, a situation that affects not only passengers but the entire tourism sector," the source emphasized.

Jorge Nunes considered that diversifying airline options helps improve service, because TAAG "continues to act with total impunity, abusing its monopoly, without being accountable, without taking responsibility, and without presenting alternatives.”

The instability of interprovincial flights, frequent delays, and the complete unpredictability of domestic air operations, according to the businessman, jeopardize any attempt to consistently develop national tourism. For Jorge Nunes, without reliable flights, without competition, and without alternatives, tourism cannot survive. Therefore, these problems must be thoroughly analyzed at the upcoming ministerial conference as a way to generate concrete international, and especially local, commitments.

The promoter of the digital platform Hoteisangola.com said that based on the information available, there are investors interested in exploring this segment, "but one of the main obstacles is protectionism toward TAAG," as several companies have already expressed interest in operating local and regional routes.

In addition to TAAG, privately owned operator Fly Angola operates in the country, with flights from Luanda to Benguela, Luanda to Lubango, and Luanda.

Source:

https://angop.ao/noticias/turismo/operadores-do-turismo-sugerem-mais-opcoes-nas-ligacoes-areas-locais

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