Air Fare hike affects tourism travels amid Covid-19 surge
For the second year running, there would be no summer travel for most international holidaymakers in Nigeria this season, including the rich that can afford it.
While airfares have spiked by at least 100 percent on traditional tourism destination routes, a rash of safety protocols and quarantine readily frustrate leisure travels and getaways.
Experts who blamed the low patronage on COVID-19 disruption, said travel demands are looking up globally but for the weak Naira-to-Dollar exchange rate that has pushed fares beyond the reach of most regular Nigerian travellers.
Also, given the challenge of going to Europe and North America on leisure, local travel operators are exploring holiday destinations within the country and the African continent. The European Union (EU) has already issued its EU Digital COVID Certificate otherwise known as Vaccine Passports in 17 countries, beginning from July 1.
On the international travel and tourism calendar, the summer period between June-ending and September is often the busiest and high revenue spinner for airlines and tourism countries, as holidaymakers crisscross the globe to have fun.
Coronavirus and safety precautions made the ritual impossible last year. With the world in pandemic isolation, the global travel and tourism industry lost an estimated $4.5 trillion revenue in 2020.
Rebound is expected this year as countries are opening up to the vaccinated.
Even though legacy carriers are in a last-minute push for high traffic routes like Lagos and Abuja, Nigerian travellers are not having a feel of the season yet, especially from the booking perspective.
A check on booking platforms of major airlines, at the weekend, found several available seats, which is unusual for weeks preluding the summer peak period. Similarly, fares have doubled on traditional high-frequency routes.
A Lagos-London-Lagos Economy Class ticket that sold for an average of N200,000 at pre-COVID-19, and N350,000 early this year, now sells for between N480,000 to N650,000 depending on the airline of choice. The Business Class ticket was as at weekend sold for between N2.6 million to N3 million, compared to N1.2 million to N1.5 million previously offered.
Lagos-Atlanta-Lagos Economy ticket that formerly sold for an average of N260,000, now offers for between N600,000 to N850,000 depending on the airline of choice and where the booking takes place. Business Class on the U.S. route sells for between N3.2 million to N3.6 million per traveller.
Experts also attribute the high costs to a weak exchange rate for the Naira, Covid-19 travel restrictions and the cost of vaccines before travel.
Guardian/Hauwa Abu
