Huambo – Market inflation, combined with constant fluctuations in the food, drinks and other services prices, is chasing away customers from hotels, resorts and restaurants in the province of Huambo, ANGOP learned.
The information was confirmed, Monday, by the coordinator of the installation committee of the Huambo Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants association, Benedito Jolomba, when he mentioned that members are constantly changing the prices of products/services offered, to make face the market and make a profit, but this situation reduces the number of customers.
The manager said that, in recent years, members have found it difficult to deal with inflation and price fluctuations, which is requiring great efforts, given the need to return invested capital, in addition to operational costs.
As an example, Benedito Jolomba reported that, in restaurants at the provincial level, a daily meal is valued at 4 to 15.000 Kwanzas, compared to 2.500 to 8.000 Kwanzas in the past.
As for accommodation, he continued, inns and hotels, regardless of level, range from 9 to 32.000 Kwanzas more, compared to 5 to 25.000 Kwanzas in previous years.
He explained that prices are changing due to inflation in hygiene products, services, energy, water, accommodation materials, food, drinks and other essential goods, which aim to satisfy guests.
The province of Huambo, he stressed, being in the center of the country, should have a daily occupancy rate of 80%, however, it is varying from 40 to 50% guests, mostly coming from Benguela, Bié, Cuando Cubango, Luanda and Lubango, which are reducing the length of stay, due to the prices charged.
The official called for concerted action between the Angolan Executive and economic agents, to attract, through the practice of balanced prices, families to spend their days in the country's restaurants and tourist attractions.
The manager highlighted that Price inflation scares away customers in restaurants in Huambo and the prices charged, whether low or high, encourage customers to stay longer/fewer days and hours in establishments, a situation that influences companies' profits.
The association's installation committee, which is expected to hold its first elections this year, controls 200 members, including hotels, resorts and restaurants.
Reacting to the fact, the head of the Tourism department, Anilson Ernesto, said it was a situation of global financial crisis, which the Angolan Government is promptly resolving with economic relief measures, such as reducing the tax burden, visa exemptions for strategic countries, promotion of credit and domestic production.
He mentioned that, with these measures, businesspeople, both those in the hotel sector and those in the production sector, have managed to recover their economic activities, a fact that was worse a few years ago.
As an example, he recalled that the province of Huambo received, in 2023, a total of 18.390 tourists, including nationals and foreigners, compared to the 2.051 in 2022, with emphasis on Chinese, Portuguese, South Africans, Senegalese, Namibians and Ethiopians.
He informed that the office of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports in the province of Huambo deals with 286 hotel units, classified lodge, restaurants and similar. ZZN/JSV/ALH/CF/DOJ
