EMPOWERING THE ACCRA-ADDIS-ARUSHA CONNECTION: The Layover policy & Hotel Tourism Strategies
by. E.K.Bensah Jr
By now, if you are a frequent traveller to Addis, you might have experienced a layover policy, which sees a traveller spend the night in Addis before embarking onto his or her final destination with Ethiopian Airlines. For some of us, the layover policy just suddenly and without warning, grew on us.
On my trip to Chad in July, I flew from Ndjamena to Addis, spent the night in an Ethiopian hotel, and returned to Accra the following day. It was a funny journey seeing me travel from Central Africa to East Africa -- only to fly back to West Africa the following day. A curious turn when Central Africa is just a few hours from West Africa!
Without a doubt, the Accra-Arusha track cannot happen without a layover -- especially when you are flying with the very popular ET.
This begs the question of whether Ghana is learning.
By March 2020, the office of the AfCFTA Secretariat will officially open its doors tho the general public.
Airlines, without question, must be preparing fast and furiously to respond to this new reality. Accra's ineluctable transition to a world-class diplomatic capital can happen a lot more easily when Accra begins to learn from Addis's sometimes-clumsy layover policy.
Accra is already a favourite for many an international traveller. Speak privately to most ECOWAS diplomats and they will tell you how Accra is great for their pocket as the per-diem is respectable on account of the high hotel prices, and cost of living.
Even as this may be good for certain quarters, there is no gainsaying the prices of hotels will have to reviewed downwards as Accra becomes the intra-African trade mecca. Is the Ghana Hotels Association taking the lead on this?
Long before anyone knew anything about Accra being associated with intra-African trade, Accra-Addis and Addis-Accra routes were already full. When diplomats, consultants and associate professionals begin to troop to Accra, flights may have to begin adopting and refining some kind of policy that also helps boost hotel tourism. Now that Ghana has partnered Ethiopian Airlines for the home-based carrier, could the new, anticipated numbers offer some innovative pricing and deals -- especially now Asky-ET-Africa World Airlines are working more closely together?
In a conversation with the Country Manager of Asky, Worlanyo Afadzinu, in Accra, he revealed a product that is already being rolled out -- the ASky Vacations.
Piloted in five countries, including Ghana and Senegal, it allows business executives with business in, say, Accra, and flying out the following day, opt to spend time out in Accra -- rather than spend time in the hotel. The same formula is replicated in the other four countries. The challenge has been the cost, which has been prohibitive.
The onset of AfCFTA is synonymous with value-addition in any way, shape, and form -- and hotel tourism cannot be left out.
Is the Addis-Accra-Arusha track ready to blow the ASky Vacation innovation wide open for collaboration?
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*This piece is part of a longer piece written by E.K.Bensah Jr, which seeks to unpack unseen dynamics for continental integration on his maiden trip from Accra to Arusha*
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