By Chinelo Obogo
Domestic travel agents have revealed that despite the travel restrictions imposed by other countries in a bid to contain the spread of the new Covid-19 variant, ticket sales and bookings have not been affected.
This comes as major travel destinations including Japan, UK, Australia, the European Union, United States and Canada have moved to block flights from African countries following the discovery of the Omicron variant, echoing previous emergency responses that triggered a global freeze on travel.
Speaking during the 2021 edition of Akwaaba African Travel Market in Lagos, the president of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA),
Susan Akporiaye, who was present at the event, stated that the variant was just discovered last week and it is not affecting sales yet, adding that sales have picked up during the last quarter.
Akporiaye said in the coming days, ticket sales will not be affected so much because the world is tired of being locked up.
“The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is saying that countries should not impose restrictions because of the new variant. They say they should just continue with their normal Covid protocols.
“The earlier governments realise that Covid-19 has come to stay, the better for everyone. This will not really affect sales because everyone has done their Christmas sales already. We feel for South Africa because we were really looking forward to it.
“They were to start their maiden flight on December 12 and this is happening. When Emirates stopped direct flights from Nigeria to Dubai, some of our clients explored new destinations and these people are not in a hurry to go back,” she said.
The event organiser, Mr. Ikechi Uko, said the new variant will not stop people from travelling as people have stayed too long at home.
“This December, there will be a lot of travelling but what will happen is that the government will take precaution because they want to know if the Omicron is in the country. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said it has not yet been tracked in Nigeria. This is the initial crisis reaction but by next week, things will settle. People will still travel for Christmas like they did last year despite COVID-19,” Uko said.
Speaking on the 2021 Akwaaba edition, Uko said this year’s Akwaaba is similar to 2014 when there was Ebola.
He said in 2014, Akwaaba had 80 percent cancellations and used 25 percent of the hall but this year, it is using 50 percent of the hall, which means the travel market has done better than it did in 2014.
He said the event will host the youth panel and tour operators’ panel with about 20 exhibitors cutting across tourism and travel and foreign affairs.
Shalom Asuquo-Ankoh, a tour operator also said that despite the new variant, airlines are still fully booked.
“When Kenya Airways resumed after lockdown, they came in with a smaller aircraft but we had advised them to get bigger equipment. With bigger equipment, they were still fully booked. Air Peace came in with bigger equipment and Ibom Air signed for 10 aircraft and this will run for domestic tourism.
“It is for us as travel consultants to begin to look around for newer destinations and look at the tech savvy generation. These people want something more exciting. So, it is just for us to look for destinations that provide those excitements,” she said.