Lisbon – The process of isueing tourist visas for citizens who intend to visit Angola was presented, on Wednesday, in the city of Porto, Portugal, with a view to increasing the number of foreign visitors in the country.
This initiative, launched by the Angolan government in 2023, is contained in Presidential Decree No. 189/23, which exempts the obtaining of tourist visas for citizens of 98 countries who intend to visit Angola, within a period of up to 30 days per entry and up to 90 days a year.
The main procedures of this policy were presented in the European country by the secretary of State for Angolan Tourism, Hélder Marcelino, during the opening of the first edition of the Business Forum in the Domain of Angola-Portugal Tourism, which aimed at showing the opportunities for investment in this sector in the country and facilitate the exchange of knowledge between companies in both countries.
According to him, the mentioned initiative undoubtedly constitutes an opportunity for those interested in visiting Angola, to enjoy its natural and cultural charms and identify business, which they can do more easily.
Hélder Marcelino added that Angola's presence at the forum aimed to reinforce the massive dissemination of the aforementioned document, drawn up by the Angolan Government unilaterally, which is expected to obtain gains in the most diverse areas of the economy.
He also said that the initiative to facilitate internal mobility within the national territory, through the removal of police checkpoints, along the roads that connect the municipalities, as well as the passenger arrival areas at national airports as other measures to be taken into account.
The official also highlighted the inauguration and entry into operation of passenger flights at the new Agostinho Neto International Airport (AIAAN), in Luanda, as a new instrument for facilitating and reinforcing connectivity between countries with broad possibilities of increasing air connections with various destinations around the world.
The secretary of State also highlighted the reclassification of the national parks of Iona, Namibe province, Quissama in Luanda, the development of the Okavango Zambezi transfrontier conservation area, among others, as areas of tourist potential in Angola.
These potentialities, he highlighted, specifically invite national and foreign private investment, allowing these natural resources to be transformed into a tourist power on the African continent and a reference tourist destination for the main markets in the world.
During the first edition of the Angola-Portugal Business Forum in the Domain of Tourism, tour operators, businesspeople, decision-makers and experts addressed various topics, such as “Structuring areas of interest and tourist potential in Angola”, “Legal framework and institutional reforms”, “Experience of the Portuguese tourism sector and its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product” and “Challenges of the hotel sector in Angola and product promotion”.
Participants in the event considered that the meeting served to build a space that allowed the exchange of experiences between the two states.
The Forum also highlighted the importance of partnerships between Angola and Portugal, not only in the tourism sector, but in other business segments.
In addition, the formation of human capital was identified as fundamental for the development of the tourism sector, being one of the most critical areas in Angola.
Participants also recommended that partnerships between companies from Angola and Portugal be encouraged, as well as that Portugal's experience in the field of sustainable tourism be considered a framework for tourism products in Angola.
The promotion of cultural festivals, exhibitions and itineraries that value Angola's historical diversity, the strengthening of trade and investment relations between the two countries, as well as the creation of tourist itineraries that connect destinations in both are also included in the recommendations.
The second edition of the Angola-Portugal Forum will be organized in Angola next year.
EJM/QCB/MRA/jmc
