Luanda - The Secretary of State for Tourism, Hélder Marcelino, said Wednesday in Luanda that the government is working to increase the weight of tourism in the national economy, through the creation of more jobs, given the opportunities the sector offers.
Speaking at the conference on "Tourism in Angola - Challenges and Opportunities", the official stressed that the actions are supported by the government's planning instruments, through the National Development Plan (PDN 2023-2027).
Hélder Marcelino added that a National Plan for the Promotion of Tourism in Angola (PLANATUR) was recently approved and has outlined the actions needed to meet the main challenges facing the country at the moment.
Marcelino explained that the challenges are associated with infrastructure, training and tourism promotion at national and international level and that depending on the vision of each actor.
Available data shows that the contribution of tourism revenue to Angola's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell from 1.3 percent in 2016 to 0.01 percent in 2022, in other words, a decrease from 628 million US dollars to 24 million US dollars, one of the causes being the COVID-19 pandemic.
During this period, Angola welcomed 1.3 million foreign tourists, mainly from the Middle East, the United States of America, African countries and Europe, the latter accounting for the largest proportion, 51 percent of the total, followed by Africans with 17 percent and Asians with 15 per cent.
Travel was the biggest indicator, accounting for 60% of revenue, corresponding to 69,653 tourists, 12,726 of whom came on business, 22,528 on holiday and 24,826 in transit to other destinations.HM/AC/AMP
