WEST AFRICA: Best Airlines And Personalities

Which is the Best Airline in West Africa? ASKY, AWA or Air Cote D’Ivoire?

As the decline of the once Dominant Nigerian Airlines sets in, the Orphan Airlines with adoptive Parents have taken Over the skies of West Africa.

ASKY partially owned by Ethiopian Airlines is today the most Profitable Airline in West Africa with Profits of over USD $4m in 2016. It is based in Lome Togo and recently added 2 B737-800 to its fleet and has begun Long haul flights to South Africa and planning for Europe. In just 5 years it has become the biggest International Airline in West Africa.

Air Cote Divoire has a French DNA and is based in Abidjan. It recently acquired some new Aircraft and has ramped up flights to Dakar and Accra linking Senegal and Libreville, Gabon with daily flights through Accra and Cotonou.

African World Airline, AWA, with its Chinese God parents won the highly competitive Lagos Accra war. This small Ghana based Airline with 5 Embraer 145 defeated Mighty Nigeria Airlines like Aero, Arik, Dana, Medview and is now locked in a battle with Air Peace and Rwandair.

It started the Lagos Accra Flight as its only international flight out of Ghana. From 3 flights a week as at February 2015 AWA is now doing 28 flights a week out of Lagos and is planning on opening Abuja Accra flights in the coming weeks. Air Peace is the only Nigerian Airline that might be competing on the West Coast route with Daily Flights from Lagos to Accra. With its huge domestic Operations in Nigeria it has taken Over from Arik as the biggest player in Nigeria. Using B737-500s, Air Peace is the Number one Airline in Nigeria today.

The choice for the Balafon Award committee members will be tough. The West African Airline of the year is one of the Awards slated to hold at Accra Weizo the ECOWAS region Travel Fair. The topic for discussion at the Aviation part of the conference will be on Making West Africa a domestic Aviation Environment.

Organizers of the 3RD Accra Weizo in Ghana have also revealed that the 2017 edition of the Top 100 Tourism Personalities Awards would hold at this Year’s event in Accra, Ghana. Tourism Top 100 Personalities in West Africa Awards is most glamorous gathering of “Who is who” in the travel and tourism industry in West Africa. This is in line with the vision of Accra Weizo, a foremost travel and tourism event, with a theme to promote seamless travels in West Africa. The awards would hold on the 26th May 2017 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana.

The 3rd Edition of Accra Weizo is organized in partnership with ATQNews.com and Travellers Magazine. ATQNews.com is the online platform of African Travel Quarterly, the publishers of Travellers Magazine, the first travel magazine in West Africa and which for over two decades has continued to blaze the trail of promoting travel and tourism related news, products and organizations on the African continent.

The award for the Top 100 Tourism Personalities in West Africa are for individuals who have distinguished themselves and through their efforts or that of their organization have impacted positively on the travel and tourism sector across the West African sub region, whose effort have stimulated and helped to achieve their individual country’s tourism goals and forging interactions among stakeholders and customers across the region.

The shortlisted nominees for the other award categories are
1.Tourism man of the year.
Gov.Ben Ayade of CRS, Nigeria
Nkereuwem Onung of NATOP, Nigeria
Nancy Sam of TOUGHA Ghana

2. Aviation Man of the Year.
Togbe Afede of AWA, Ghana
Allen Onyema of Air Peace, Nigeria
Alhaji Muneer Bankole of Medview, Nigeria
Country manager KLM, Ghana

3.Hotel Man of the year
Dr. Kwesi Ndoum of Coconut Grove, Ghana
Danny Kiopouroglou of Eko Hotel, Nigeria
GM Kempinski Accra, Ghana
GM Radisson Blu Freetown, Sierra Leone
Olufemi Talabi of Citilodge, Nigeria

4. Travel personality of the year.
Obinna Ekezie of WakaNow, Nigeria
Ivor Agyeman Dua. Author
Sydney Baeta
Stella Obinwa of Dubai Tourism.

5. Best Airline in West Africa.
Asky, Air Cote D’Ivoire, AWA, Air Peace

6. Best Hotel in West Africa.
Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko in Sierra Leone
Renaissance Hotel Ikeja in Nigeria
Kempinski Gold city in Ghana
Labadi Beach in Ghana

7. Best Airport in West Africa.
Lome Airport in Togo and Accra Airport in Ghana

8.Best Airport Handling company in West Africa.
Aviance, Sahcol, Nahco Aviance

This year’s Accra Weizo is looking to create networking opportunity for players in the travel and tourism industry to Meet the products, companies and personalities who drive travel business in the sub region. This presents a great opportunity for people and organizations seeking to do business in West Africa.

Expected guests and speakers at the event include; Hon deputy minister of Tourism Zimbabwe Anastasia Ndlovu,Dr. Harold Demuren, Former Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), ECOWAS, Mr. Nkereuwem Onung, President, Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) and Damian Cook, Chief Executive Officer, E-Tourism Frontiers Kenya.

Expected participants are Tour Operators and Travel Agents in Ghana, Nigerian Tour operators and Travel agents, Team Africa members, Travel agents from Benin republic and Togo, South African Tourism Board, Dubai Tourism, Tour Operators from Liberia, Destination managers, Leading Hotels General Managers amongst others.

Accra Weizo will be imparting knowledge to its various participants through Seminar, Networking, Exposure and Provision of Digital Skills and awards. In order to achieve these, the following Topics are going to be discussed intensively by globally rated experts.

The benefits of making west Africa a domestic aviation environment; Digital training session to cover; How to package inbound and Outbound Tours, eTourism in Theory and Practice, E-marketing Strategy, Web Design, Content and Management, Analytics and Conversion Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing, Relationship Marketing, The Generation Gap- Encouraging User Generated Content; Trip advisor, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Managing Multimedia and Mobile and Location Based Services.

Dein Gbabo, Project Manager of AKWAABA African Travel Market, speaking about the event, explained that, “In West Africa, the people in travel business need to network. Each country in the region works in silos. This situation necessitated the need to create opportunities to network and by so doing stimulate the great potentials and benefits that lurk within travel business among the countries in the region.

“Based on these, we are profiling for the Balafon Awards and Top 100 Hotels in Ghana, selections are done annually, and would hold at the 3rd Accra Weizo on the 26 – 27th May, 2017 at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana. We invite you to join us in Accra, Ghana for the event,” she concluded.

The last edition of Accra Weizo pulled together stakeholders in the travel, tourism, aviation and allied sector at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel and Resort in Accra, Ghana and featured a brain-storming session with a focus on liberalised air connectivity, visa accessibility and free movement in Africa.

The stakeholders who were mostly drawn from Nigeria, Ghana and other African countries observed the need to eradicate all entry barriers militating against free movement in the sub- region, to facilitate seamless travel in West Africa.

Balafon is the West African Travel Awards instituted many years ago by the organisers of Akwaaba African Travel Market. It was set up to recognize individuals who have excelled in Tourism and Travel and who also have contributed to the growth of Tourism and Travels in the region. But from this year 2016 Balafon Awards will become part of Accra Weizo event.

We also do other awards: African Travel Awards. These awards happen every year and holds at the Akwaaba African Travel Market in Lagos, Nigeria.

GHANA: West African Tourism Leaders To Meet In Accra

Private Tourism stakeholders in West Africa would be meeting in Accra on July 15, at the Accra Weizo event to discuss the development of Tourism in West Africa.

The event was put together by Akwaaba African Travel Market with the support of Ghana Ministry of Tourism Culture and Creative Arts.

The 2016 edition is on the theme: “Seamless Travels in West Africa,” and would host couple of discussions on West Africa as a Single Destination.

A statement by Mr Ikechi Uko, the organiser of the event, said the session would have as discussants, the President of Nigeria Association of Tour Operators, Tour Operators Union of Ghana, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies and heads of the Tourism Associations from Benin and Togo.

The event would be moderated by a leading Ghanaian Journalist and hosted by La Palm Royal Beach Hotel with support from Ethiopian Airlines and Accra city hotel.

It said the event would take an in-depth look into the ways to improve Travel and Tourism growth in West Africa through easy access to towns and cities in West Africa.

The statement said improving and simplifying Airport and Border processes; Standardising Hotel and facilities for tourism through shared vision are some of the topics for discussion.

It said Mr Henock Teferra, the Managing Director, of ASKY Airlines, a pan Africa airline, based in Lome, Togo would be speaking on the topic: “The Challenges of Running a Successful Regional Airline in West Africa.”

There would be case studies like “SAT Experience in West Africa,” by Hloni Pitso, the Regional Manager of South Africa Tourism in West Africa.

Mr Uko, said the event a day's Travel Seminar, Awards and Exhibition with the objective was to improve Travel and Tourism growth in West Africa through easy access to towns and cities in West Africa.

The statement said the West Africa Award (Balafon) would be held with categories include: West Africa Tourism Man of the Year, West Africa Aviation Man of the Year, West African Personality of the Year, and Top 50 Hotels in West Africa.

NIGERIA: National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies For National Carrier

Says It Will Reduce Influx Of Foreign Airlines

As the idea of whether to establish a national carrier continues to generate discuss, the President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Alhaji Aminu Agoha, has declared that Nigeria and Nigerians need a national airline to reduce the influx of foreign airlines into the country.

He made the declaration at Aviation Day at this year’s AKWAABA African Travel Market, Eko Hotel and Suite, Lagos.Speaking further, the NANTA boss argued that Nigeria needs a national carrier not only to serve as the country’s national pride anywhere in the world but to also reduce the influx of international carrier.

“If we have a national carrier, the influx of foreign airlines into the country will reduce. ”he said.
He continued, “If you ask me, the dream of any international airline is to operate in Nigeria.”

He further said that one of the numerous problems the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) had was the over dependent on Federal Government funds.

Agoha stated that the proposed national carrier should be private sector driven with little or no equity from the Federal Government.

According to him, “What we are saying is that the planned national carrier should be a private sector driven while the government will have little or no investment in the national carrier.”

He posited that when Nigeria Airways Limited was still operating, travel agencies were paid commission but that all that had gone with the ‘invasion of Nigeria by foreign airlines.

In his words, “We subscribe to national carrier and we believe in it and we know it will succeed.”

Speaking on the issue, the Deputy Managing Director of Arik Air, Capt Ado Sanusi, who stated that statements made concerning the national carrier was his person views, adding that he is not against establishing a national carrier for the country.

He wondered if the country has the capacity afford and maintain a national airline most especially now that the economy seems to be shaky.

Capt Sanusi pointed out that national carrier was not part of the problems of the Nigerian aviation industry, wondering why the country should be talking about national carrier when only recently Nigerian airports were tagged worst airports in the world.

According to him, “Would it be proper to start a national carrier when we don’t have good facilities at our airports? What we do is to address the decaying infrastructure at our airports .Everybody will support national carrier if we can afford and maintain it. But the reality on the ground does not say so.”

On the 1988, Yamoussoukro Decision (YD), that talks about deregulating air services and promoting regional air markets open to transnational competition, he said, “we totally agree with YD but we believe it should be fair.”

The implementation of the Open Skies for Africa; the Yamoussoukro Decision, was brought about following a study that many African countries restrict their air services markets to protect the share held by state-owned air carriers.

NIGERIA: Akwaaba Travel Show Sells Nigeria As Tourism Destination

Stakeholders in the African travel and tourism sector gathered in Lagos for three days to brainstorm on ways to promote and improve the travel tourism sector in West African at the annual Akwaaba African Travel Market.

AfricaAkwaaba, according to the organisers of the event is a popular word in the West Africa which translates to welcome in Ghana and Cote D’ Ivoire. Over the last nine years, Akwaaba has become the most important travel marketing platform in the region drawing 7,000 to 10,000 visitors from over 20 countries.

Declaring the exhibition open, the Minister of Land, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, said Akwaaba gives people in the tourism industry room to interact with hoteliers, travel and transport industry operators and to share their individual experiences.

Individual experiences

While commending the efforts of the organiser, Mr. Ikechukwu Uko, the minister described Akwaaba as educative event which broadens people’s knowledge of the field of tourism. “It is equally an avenue for tourism investors to share ideas and proffer ways to develop tourism in Africa,” she said.

Mr. Ikechi Uko, the organizer of the exhibition said that the annual Akwaaba Tourism Fair has become an avenue to market Nigeria as a tourist destination. Uko noted that the country has enormous tourism potential that could be showcased to the international community.

“The fair has opened the door to Nigeria and Africa tourism market and served as a platform for exchange of cultural and tourism potentials among participating countries. “ Uko said.

Speaking on the low turn- out of foreign participants at this year’s fair, Mr. Ikechi Uko attributed it to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) that broke out last July. ”Out of over 15 countries that indicated their interests to participate in this year’s Akwaaba, only five countries were able to make it.

“The other countries were discouraged because of the outbreak of EVD in West Africa, “ he said. Uko urged the nation’s tourism practitioners to package and market domestic tourism destinations properly.

“Some practitioners do not have the fundamental knowledge of tourism; therefore, it has become difficult for them to market the destination.

He said the industry can only be developed when the nation’s tourism practitioners get it right, noting that Akwaaba fair would always serve as the best avenue for tourism practitioners to learn and understand the workings of the industry very well.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s tourism credentials as a leisure destination were put on full display at this year’s AKWAABA travel and trade show. During the three day show, the South African Tourism team pulled out all stops to actively promote South Africa’s unique value proposition as a leisure destination to the West African traveller and trade. Nigeria and South Africa have enjoyed a long-standing and fruitful partnership.

The two countries have many times spoken of their resolve to strengthen relations and work together for the long-term betterment of an economically vibrant African continent. Travel and tourism has been identified as a key driver in unbridling this potential.

South African Tourism used its time at AKWAABA to meet with the trade, present to them the destination’s value proposition and, most significantly, cement deals which will see South Africa’s destination offering bolstered in the consumer space.

Thulani Nzima, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of South African Tourism said the travel trade are a critical component to the work that they do.

“During AKWAABA we officially announced our partnership with the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) who will help boost tourist arrivals growth from Nigeria to South Africa by developing a range of packages to suit the Nigerian traveller.”

Significant milestone

This partnership, he says, is a significant milestone and one which we believe will go far in reaffirming our commitment to bolstering the economic relations between Nigeria and South Africa. It will also give us access to a wide audience of discerning travellers who contribute significantly to South Africa’s growth.

“Africans should stand together and continue to educate the rest of the world. If we want to continue attracting business and welcoming tourists from all over the world, it is our responsibility as the collective African trade industry to manage these perceptions swiftly.”