The National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents (NANTA) has cried out to the federal government to save the travel industry from total collapse!
Speaking at a press conference at its secretariat in Lagos, the President, Susan Akporiaye along with her executive, cried out to the federal government to FG, to immediately intervene in the crisis for survival that has now been the lot of the industry.
"Daily our members are closing down their shops and contemplating going into farming fishery or other businesses."
She called out to the government stating that, "A round table discuss between Gov and Stakeholders should immediately be held to resolve aviation crisis."
The government should engage and consult with stakeholders to achieve a lasting solution, such parties include the “Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Minister of Aviation, Minister of Finance, Minister of foreign affairs, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and NANTA”.
The body also complained of skyrocketing airfares, closure of offices by airlines in Nigeria, making cost of tickets to jump from about three hundred thousand naira to one million five hundred thousand naira for one way!
Akporiaye while commending the government for their support during the period of covid-19 with a bail out, similarly called on the federal government to hurriedly come to their aid.
She castigated some of the airlines for taking undue advantage of the situation to hike fares arbitrarily.
Other executive members of the body called for immediate privatisation of the industry. They called for merging of the Tourism ministry with the aviation ministry and headed by a professional in the industry and above all said that the round table meeting is needed urgently to avoid a collapse of the industry whose employees stretch into various other sectors of the economy.
The government must prioritize aviation because it is the window for investment development of any nation and access for any economy to grow.
She said there were issues of foreign exchange scarcity, astronomical local and international travel fare increases, visa restrictions and threats of deportation by foreign countries without hesitation.
Akporiaye said businesses must be considered as they were on the verge of total collapse, adding that staff in the industry might be forced into the streets.
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