The Angolan Government plans to finance, in four years (2024-2027), public and private investments of more than 2.489 billion kwanzas to implement the National Tourism Plan (PLANATUR)
Of the total credits to be made available, more than 276.89 billion are from projects under the direct management of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, according to the general director of the National Institute for the Promotion of Tourism (INFORTUR), Afonso Vita. The structure of the budget plan has three fundamental components, the first being linked to expenditure to support development with actions, in the short and medium term, of training, structuring, promotion and development of the tourist offer.
This first aspect is budgeted at four billion, 489 million, 252 thousand and 690 kwanzas, he specified. The second has a share of two billion, 238 million and 891 thousand kwanzas and is linked to Public Investments which, in the medium term, will cover requalification actions of the main tourist resources distributed across the seven priority provinces (Huíla, Namibe, Luanda, Benguela, Zaire, Malanje and Cuando Cubango).
The second component also includes the infrastructure of the Cabo Ledo, Kalandula and Okavango Tourism Development Poles. Speaking to ANGOP, in Lubango, the general director of INFORTUR explained that the third component has a budget of 246 billion and 600 million kwanzas, referring to financing the national private sector with a view to promoting tourism, reinforcing capital.
The official recalled that PLANATUR defines the guiding principles for public investment in the sector, aiming to increase the amount of public investment and attract private investment to achieve public policy objectives. He pointed out that these principles will be used to determine the alignment between public and private investment, that is, the public sector acts as a market facilitator to leverage private sector investment and harness its full potential.
Strategic investments
According to Afonso Vita, the rapid transformation of the tourism sector, for economic growth, will require strategic investments in the different tourism value chains, namely in restaurants, hotels, transport, among others. The Executive recognizes the central role that the private sector plays in the transformation of tourism and in this chapter the change will be driven by investments from private actors, from small to large tourist segments falling within the sector’s different typologies, he highlighted.
However, the official highlighted that in order to improve the business environment, it is essential that measures are taken to attract investment in the sector. He clarified that such measures range from the continuous simplification of administrative procedures for the licensing of activities (operating tourist enterprises, travel agencies and exercising the activity of tourist guide), in order to legalize and formalize the activities of all tourist agents in the fullness.
According to the source, another point to take into account is the reclassification of the network of tourist resorts, restaurants and similar, at national level, for a quality tourist offer, in the different national tourist resorts, equivalent to other latitudes. The coordination of PLANATUR is the responsibility of the ministerial department that oversees tourism and is subject to regular monitoring by the Economic team of the Economic Commission of the Council of Ministers.