Luanda:Angola The country welcomed 223,000 international tourists in 2025, marking a 28 percent rise compared to the previous year and exceeding pre-pandemic figures, according to Augusto Kalikemala, Secretary of State for Tourism.
According to Angola Press News Agency, Kalikemala, speaking at the Angola Economic Forum 2026, highlighted that hotel occupancy rates averaged 72.6 percent, surpassing the average growth observed across the African continent.
Kalikemala credited this growth to structural reforms that followed the establishment of a dedicated Ministry of Tourism in March 2024. These reforms included visa exemptions and simplified entry procedures for citizens of 98 countries.
He emphasized the role of tourism in job creation and foreign exchange earnings, pointing to regional integration initiatives under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Free Trade Area and strategic transport corridors.
As part of the "Invest in Tourism" initiative, Angola is channeling private investments into four key development areas business travel in Luanda, coastal development along the Atlantic coast, nature and conservation efforts at sites like Kalandula Falls and the Okavango, and the rehabilitation of existing hotel infrastructures.
To bolster domestic travel and maintain sector liquidity, the tourism ministry has also formed partnerships with commercial banks, including Standard Bank Angola, Banco Angolano de Investimentos (BAI), and Banco Millennium Atlntico.
