Moçâmedes - A cruise ship called 'CH Vega', from Cape Town, South Africa, docked Tuesday at the Port of Namibe, Angola’s south-west, with 29 tourists who visited some of the province's tourist attractions as part of the Namibe-Tour tourist circuit.
On board are tourists of Portuguese, American, Australian, Russian and British citizens.
During the reception for the tourists, Namibe's deputy provincial governor for Technical Services and Infrastructure, Ema da Silva, said that the arrival of a cruise ship in Angola, at a time when the authorities are taking steps to boost tourism, is a significant step towards placing Namibe on the international tourism route and places to visit.
She said that the conclusion of the project to upgrade and expand the Port of Namibe would make it possible to create conditions for receiving large cruise ships more frequently, thus making the province a reference point for world tourism.
The official considered the presence of tourists to be a great opportunity to showcase the province's tourist resources, such as sites, culture, architecture, people, material and immaterial heritage.
On the other hand, one of the heads of the Travel-Geste travel agency, José Cabral, said that Angola is becoming an attractive country for cruise companies, pointing out that the ports of Lobito and Namibe are arousing the interest of companies in the tourism sector.
She added that the instability in the Middle East could lead to more cruise ships docking in Angolan ports in general and in Namibe in particular this year.
The government official revealed that the tourist route includes the Arco Lake, Cine-Estúdio, Saint Adrião Church, Fortress of São Fernando and the Moçâmedes Boulevard.
On the occasion, Portuguese tourist Pinto Pedroto, said that he had always been interested in visiting the Namib Desert and its attractions, especially the Welwitschia mirabilis plant, Arco Lake and the Hills.
After the province of Namibe, the boat is travelling on Wednesday to Luanda, the country’s capital.
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