The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies is urging the Federal Government to tackle the issue of cross-border ticket sales, where foreign agencies offer cheaper flight tickets for routes originating in Nigeria.
Speaking on this issue, the president of the association, Yinka Folami, highlighted the issue of foreign-based agencies undercutting prices for tickets originating from Nigeria.
“It is not fair to the Nigerian market. It is called cross-border trading, and we are already talking to the government about it. We have a situation where a Lagos-London ticket is cheaper to buy in Asia,” Folami explained.
He elaborated, “For example, it is cheaper to buy in Asia than in Nigeria. If you can be a travel agency in Asia, why can’t you be a Nigerian travel agency, particularly when you travel from Nigeria? That is what we are saying. It is called cross-border trading, and it is bad for the market.”
Folami warned that this practice is damaging the domestic travel industry by allowing foreign agencies to undercut local operators: “It is hurting the market. It is like we are giving those foreign travel agencies the opportunity to undercut our market. It is not fair. We are urging the government to step into it. That is what we are saying.”
The association has been engaging the government on the matter for some time.
“We are talking to the government about it. We have been talking about it. It was a major talk in April, and we are still on it. We are talking to the government about it,” Folami added.
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