By Dickson Omobola
National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, NANTA, Monday, lamented the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, saying its members have lost between 30 and 40 per cent in ticket sales owing to disruptions in travel demand.
The association, which said the war in the Middle East had led to huge ticket refunds, also complained that the development had been worsened by the continued insistence of some foreign airlines on selling tickets in Nigeria in dollars.
President of NANTA, Yinka Folami, described the practice as one that undermines Nigeria’s development and shows a lack of regard for the country’s currency.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos ahead of the association’s forthcoming 50th Annual General Meeting scheduled for April in Ibadan, Oyo State, themed: ‘Embracing Our Diverse Cultural Heritage from the City of Firsts: Redefining Our Role as Global Travel Ambassador,’ he said the Bilateral Air Service Agreements, BASA, and Open Skies Agreements Nigeria entered into with other countries might permit some foreign airlines to transact in foreign currency in the country, but insisted that completely excluding Naira transactions in Nigeria was unacceptable.
Folami said the decision to operate dollar-only transactions in Nigeria amounts to economic distortion and directly undermines government’s ongoing efforts to stabilise the Naira and rebuild investor confidence.
He said: “It is not just the American airlines alone that are selling in dollars in Nigeria, but what we are saying is that even if BASA permits it, so, what happens to our Naira? I do not want to mention any airline’s name. I think it’s a disrespect to Naira to set up shop in Nigeria and say that currency will be completely excluded from that transaction.
“I am not saying that they should not sell in dollars, but give us the option to trade in naira, too. The small countries that look up to us, we’ve been around, when we mentioned it in Kenya, they said never, it’s impossible. Give us the option.
“Even if it is in BASA, this is a market that is good and loves you. Give us that respect and permit us to at least trade in our currency with you. It will be optional to me whether I want to do it in dollars or naira.”
Folami said the association was working closely with regulatory bodies such as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, to address complaints and provide feedback that supports enforcement actions against some foreign airlines that maltreat Nigerian passengers.
Meanwhile, a trustee of NANTA, Lagos Zone, Daisi Olotu, lamented what he described as excessive taxation on travel agencies by government authorities.
Olotu argued that agencies were often taxed on total ticket sales turnover rather than their actual earnings or commissions.
He further disclosed that taxes and charges could account for up to 50 per cent of the total cost of an international ticket, placing additional pressure on both agencies and travellers.
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