Africa-Press – Cape verde. The president of the Cape Verde Tourism Chamber, Jorge Spencer Lima, “Scapa” said that “exorbitant” ticket prices have a negative effect on tourism demand in Cape Verde, as a tourist destination. Prices are high, he said, for Cape Verdeans themselves, who are paying almost twice as much.
In a recent interview with Inforpress, the person in charge of the Chamber of Tourism exemplified that, at the moment, transport alone corresponds to about 50% of the Cape Verde destination package, which is “extremely high”.
Transport prices end up weighing on the holidays of the Cape Verdean diaspora.
“They are extremely high for Cape Verdeans who want to travel, having to pay almost double what they should pay to travel on vacation”, he analyzed, noting that the problem that arises has to do with connectivity and competitiveness.
TAP abuse
In this sense, he considers that Cape Verde is being “practically digested” by TAP’s monopoly system, by the “prices it wants” and practices as it wants for Cape Verde.
“Under even excruciating conditions. There is an abuse of TAP’s position in relation to Cape Verde. We have to find alternatives. TACV has to fly more and better, it has to be competitive. The TACV is our combat weapon, but it is not getting off the ground… I don’t know why”, he said.
“I trust, believe and bet on TACV… now it is necessary to change course quickly. With so much installed capacity, in terms of maintenance personnel, there are people who never run out, and they don’t have planes”, he added, alluding that at the moment, renting planes is the simplest thing in the world.
low cost solution
Believing that one day TACV will improve, have other planes and be competitive, Jorge Spencer Lima approves the Government’s idea, regarding the possibility of bringing ‘low cost’ flights to Cape Verde, which could allow greater diversification of the markets of origin and of the segments.
“Low cost can be a solution. Let’s see what will happen. But don’t forget that low cost is financed by us, by the pockets of Cape Verdean taxpayers. Low cost travelers do not go to destinations where prices are not desirable”, he cautioned.
The solution, he concluded, involves the elimination of the “real monopoly” that currently exists at TAP.
“Solve the problem with the law, get the TACVs to fly, give planes, get the TACVs to play the role they always did in Cape Verde”, he exhorted.
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