By Chinelo Obogo
The National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) has said it would advocate for a better image for Nigeria’s on the global stage, even as it battles threats to the country’s travel trade including airlines that refuse to accept Naira payments, cross-border trade and misapplication of tax policies on its members.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos to announce its 50th anniversary and Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will take place in Ibadan in April, NANTA’s President, Yinka Folami said the association intends to use its platform to correct damaging perceptions of Nigeria abroad, pointing to its past advocacy efforts at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, the International Trafficking and Terrorism Conference in Tokyo, and engagements with the Turkish government on visa restrictions as evidence of its capacity to deliver on this promise.
He spoke about airlines that insist on selling tickets exclusively in U.S. dollars within the Nigerian market, describing the practice as an affront to the country’s currency and economic sovereignty. “I think it is a disrespect to the Naira to set up shop in Nigeria and say that the Naira will be completely excluded from that transaction. Give us an option to trade in our Naira. This is a market that is good, and this is a market that loves you,” he said.
He said that while some airlines’ Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) may permit dollar-denominated sales as an alternative currency, Folami said there is a difference between offering dollar pricing as an option and excluding Naira altogether.
“Even if it is in the BASA, it is a document, it is a protected clause in the BASA. But let us also be able to trade in Naira. That is what we are saying,” he said.
A board member also spoke on what it describes as an unfair tax burden being placed on travel agents which comes from a misunderstanding of how the sector operates. “Today, to travel to London, you must have at least N1m to buy a ticket. If every travel agency in Lagos is selling around 30 tickets every day, that is N10m every day in turnover. When the tax authority comes to you and sees N10m, they bring the tax liability against that N10 million but that N10m is not our money,” he said.
He explained that the bulk of ticket revenues pass directly through travel agents to airlines, with agents earning little or no commission on many transactions. He said taxing gross ticket sales as though they represent agent income, he argued, is unfair. Folami also spoke on “airlines debit memos” charges imposed by airlines on agents, describing it as threats to member businesses.
NANTA then announced that its training committee has been upgraded into a fully registered professional body, the NANTA Training Institute for Travel Professionals Limited, and the organisation is reviewing its constitution to strengthen disciplinary mechanisms.
“We are dissociating ourselves completely from all forms of illegality and misconduct in the sector. The fraudsters are not us. Professionalism is not optional in our trade. You have to be professional, and you have to be accountable,”Folami said.
He then revealed the list of speakers for the AGM, including the Chairman of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, a representative from the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, global consultancy firm Deloitte and Touche, and the Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria. Some royal fathers and other dignitaries have confirmed their attendance.
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