The national director of the National Institute for the Promotion of Tourism, Afonso Vita, said that the number is still far from desired, if one takes into account the Government’s objectives of reaching 1.9 percent of tourism’s contributions to GDP in 2050
The tourism sector raised 21 million US dollars in 2023, according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. According to the data, even so, the contributions of tourism revenue to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell from 1.3 percent to 0.01 during the last seven years, that is, from 2016 to 2023.
Revenues acquired by the tourism sector in Angola decreased, from USD 628 million in 2016 to USD 24 million in 2022, which amounts to a decrease of USD 604 million. The main reasons for the drop in contributions are due, according to sector data, to several factors, including the lack of dissemination of information and the weak promotion of tourist destinations in the media. The non-disclosure of tourist attractions leads to many potential tourists being unaware of these sites, including the cultural chapter, such as the existence of museums.
It also points out the lack of international air connectivity and more connecting flights between the other provinces and the capital Luanda, the lack of a tourist brand, insufficient hotel and restaurant units, as well as the outdated tourism legislation and the image of insecurity that main urban centers still have.
Portugal leads the list of tourists
Despite the drop in the tourism sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product, the country registered the presence of tourists from various countries around the world, with different objectives. “The 10 countries that sent the most tourists to Angola in the period from 2016 to 2023 are led by Portugal with 46.3 percent, followed by Brazil with 10.2 and China with around 8.9 percent”, reads in the document. Regarding the origin of tourists, the European continent stands out with 51% of the total number of tourists during the period under analysis (six years), followed by the African continent with 17.1% and the Asian continent with 13%.
This report also adds that regarding travel reasons, services have the greatest weight with 60 percent from 2016 to 2023, followed by business trips with 17.4 percent, while vacations appear last with 16.7 Percent. These numbers, according to the national director of the National Institute for the Promotion of Tourism, Afonso Vita, are still far from desired, if one takes into account the Government’s objectives of reaching 1.9 percent of tourism’s contributions to the GDP in 2050.
BY: João Katombela, Huíla
