France extends helping hand to African Tourism Board

Thursday, August 19, 2021

France just gave more than a token of hope to the African travel and tourism Industry.

African Tourism Board is excited to learn about the expansion planned by the French national airline for this winter season.

Air France, stylized as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance.

With the COVID-19 travel and tourism to Africa remains a challenge. Showing the confidence Air France is indicating for Africa will create confidence in the industry and hopefully among potential visitors.

Air France will start service to Banjul, the Capital City of The Gambia in West Africa.

Paris- Banjul will be operated on an Airbus A330 with 224 seats. It includes 36 spaces in business class, 21 premium Economy and 167 Economy seats.

The Gambia is a small West African country, bounded by Senegal, with a narrow Atlantic coastline. It’s known for its diverse ecosystems around the central Gambia River. Abundant wildlife in its Kiang West National Park and Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve includes monkeys, leopards, hippos, hyenas, and rare birds. The capital, Banjul, and nearby Serrekunda offer access to beaches. Service is supposed to start on October 31.

Also starting on October 31is Air France’s new service to Maputo, Mozambique.

This new route to Maputo will be operated on a large Boeing 777-300ER offering First Class, Business, Premium Economy, and Economy.

Mozambique is a southern African nation whose long Indian Ocean coastline is dotted with popular beaches like Tofo, as well as offshore marine parks. In the Quirimbas Archipelago, a 250km stretch of coral islands, mangrove-covered Ibo Island has colonial-era ruins surviving from a period of Portuguese rule. The Bazaruto Archipelago farther south has reefs which protect rare marine life including dugongs.

AF704 will be operating between Paris Charles de Gaulle via Banjul to Abidjan in Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast recently hosted African Tourism Board Chairman Cuthbert Ncube and is on an expansion course to develop tourism in this West African nation.

Côte d’Ivoire is a West African country with beach resorts, rainforests, and a French-colonial legacy. Abidjan, on the Atlantic coast, is the country’s major urban centre. Its modern landmarks include ziggurat like, concrete La Pyramide and St. Paul’s Cathedral, a swooping structure tethered to a massive cross. North of the central business district, Banco National Park is a rainforest preserve with a hiking trail.

Already on October 18, Air France will connect Paris with the holiday island in Tanzania, Zanzibar.

This service will be operated with a stop in Nairobi, Kenya on a Boeing 787-9
Tourism in Zanzibar includes the tourism industry and its effects on the islands of Unguja and Pemba in Zanzibar a semi-autonomous region in the United Republic of Tanzania

Seychelles Tourism already announced and is excited to welcome an A330-2200 service from Paris to this French and English-speaking Indian Ocean tourism paradise. Service originally started in 2019 and was interrupted due to COVID-19.

This service will start on October 23.

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