World Tourism Forum: French, British experts share opinions to develop tourism sector

Angola inaugurated World Tourism Forum in the capital city, Luanda on May 23. The ex-President of France, François Hollande said at the forum that the development of tourism depends on the existence of infrastructures and a strong tourism policy that enables the attraction of national and foreign tourists.

Speaking at the panel on “Vision on Tourism in the World, Development and Innovation”, in the ambit of the World Tourism Forum which Angola is hosting since last Thursday, François Hollande said that it is necessary to invest in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and staff training at different levels.

In the vision of the former French president, to develop tourism the country has to ensure security, so that tourists can feel safe. François Hollande defended that tourism policies must be accompanied by measures turned to the preservation of the environment and culture.

He also defended that the state should not leave the tourism sector completely to the private sector, since it needs to play the important role of attracting revenues, investing in accessibility, transports, airports and other crucial areas for the sector. Attended by more than 1,500 delegates, The World Tourism Forum is expected to bring about investment opportunities in the sectors of construction, transport, energy, waters and agriculture.

On the other hand, the former Mayor of London, Ken Livingston opined that Angola is a country still to be known and with a promising future in terms of tourism. Ken Livingston, who said so while delivering a lecture on Tourism Destinations and Marketing, at the World Tourism Forum, explained that judging by its potential and geographical location, Angola has everything to be able to develop its tourism sector and become a world reference.

The former Mayor of London highlighted the public transportation problem in the cities and explained that during his mayoral mandate he managed to make collective transportation more usable than personal vehicles, which helped to decrease traffic-jams and pollution. He went on to highlight the importance of telecommunications and manifested his admiration at the fact Angola launched a satellite in 2017 and that others are being built.

With inputs from agencies.

Also Read: Global hotels chains Marriot, Radisson, Hilton likely to invest in Angola’s tourism sector