Nigerian travel agencies look for national carriers to push aviation & tourism

Friday, March 30, 2018

Nigerian travel agencies have reiterated the urgency for a national carrier to boost air travel and tourism growth in the country. At the 42nd annual general meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the group, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) explained that tourism business depends on travel worldwide.

This is the reason why airlines and national carriers are some of the critical investments for both public and private sector.

 
At the summit, speakers agreed unanimously that liquidating Nigerian Airways in 2004 was a major mistake. And as long as the current administration corrects the blunder by launching a new carrier, the country is yet to sell its tourism potential to the world for economic growth.

 
In the meantime, the President of NANTA, Bernard Bankole, after his reelection for yet another term at the AGM, has explained that the NANTA Act and new identity scheme for registered members will be given importance among other projects listed for the new tenure. Some of the main speakers at the forum and the Chairman, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Victor Ndoma-Egba, said the complementary relationship between aviation and tourism is no longer in doubt globally.

 
Statistics published by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) emphasize that more than $892 billion out of $2.7 trillion support by aviation is related to tourism. In addition, around 54 percent of all overseas tourists travel to their destinations by air, to additionally value aviation to tourism. Ndoma-Egba observed that the importance in the countries were both aviation as well as tourism and they are the main drivers of the economy with clear policies, short, medium, long term plans, sustainability and integration in both sectors.

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