The Managing Director, Peacock Travels and Tours, (Pty), South Africa, Ms Maistry Elisha, says air travel is expensive on the continent and recommends more flights, in this interview with OYETUNJI ABIOYEWhat is your assessment of the travel and airline industry in Africa' Air travel is still very expensive in Africa. There should be more flights into Africa because the market is very large. When there are more flights, then the price will come down.Foreign airlines have dominated the African skies. How can African carriers take a major share of the market' Africa needs to invest in more planes and air transport infrastructure. Africa should take charge of its continent and stop depending on the United States or Europe to bring in their airlines to dominate the African market.How can air links be developed in Africa as in advanced countries'There are various challenges to having adequate air links in Africa at the moment. This is why some section of the market is being held by a few monopolistic groups at the moment. Africa needs to import skills and then train its people to take over.Africa has a poor safety record in air travel, according to the International Air Transport Association. How will this be minimised' We need to ensure we raise the skills of our air transport staff. This will reduce the risks. Currently, we have a few skilled aeronautic engineers, pilots and other professionals to guarantee adequate safety mechanisms. We need to start training people at very young age and make it attractive to be in the airline industry. There are still a few black skilled people in the airline business. More opportunities need to be created, as well as close partnership with business, education department, governments and private sector to make this happen. However, in the end, it is up to us Africans to make things, if we want change and progress.Africa is regarded as an emerging market. What growth potential do you see in the sector' There is a huge potential in the Small and Medium Enterprises sector in Africa. And there are great opportunities for people to become entrepreneurs, they just need to be skilled and mentored. The government in South Africa has placed huge development in this sector of the economy. And even foreigners including Nigerians can take up this opportunity legally and become great businessmen and women.What is the level of development of the tourism sub-sector and the travel industry in South Africa' In my opinion, I see this industry as being highly competitive and you need to be a survivor in this cut throat business. However, with this said, one requires to be a differentiator and an innovator and this is one of our main focuses in our business. Our intention is to grow our company to become the pride of the travel sub-sector in Southern Africa.Do you think more Nigerian will prefer coming to South Africa for business and leisure than Europe' First, we need to understand what the Nigerian market is looking for. Is it the sea, mountains or just peace and quietness' Once we know their needs, then we can show them how attractive South Africa is to meet the needs. What we do is to explore both drive and fly opportunities, and also create packages that are affordable and attractive.A couple of months ago, some Nigerians were allegedly maltreated in South Africa over issues of xenophobia. Has this affected business adversely' Some bad perceptions are long embedded in the mind of the South Africans. And so, we need to change the stigma, find a solution to stop illegal immigrants to South Africa because they are the ones that give the Nigeria the bad name. We need to find a way to make the Nigerians in South Africa understand that illegal business just gives their country a poor name and status. There must be some literature to all travellers on this matter. This can be worked out in collaboration with the Immigration department.Is your company looking towards increasing the number of business and leisure travellers from South Africa to Nigeria'Yes, what we are trying to do is to create opportunities that are attractive to South Africans. This is because there must be an attraction for people to want to go to Nigeria and we need to explore all the strengths of Nigeria and use this effectively.What really motivated you to this sector' I had been well travelled, growing up. The excitement of visiting new destinations and learning about other cultures has always been a thing of interest to me. Travel is not just a career or job to me; it is a passion that I attain.What is our companys plan in this air travel sub-sector' We are looking at improving the bilateral relationship that exists between South Africa and Nigeria. Our intention is to expose the nationals of both nations to the unpopular tourist destination.
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