Luanda: Tourism Minister M¡rcio Daniel announced ambitious plans for the tourism sector in Angola, aiming to elevate it to one of the top three job-creating sectors in the nation. Speaking during the 10th anniversary conference of the Association of Hotels and Resorts of Angola (AHRA), Daniel emphasized the potential of tourism to significantly boost employment, citing data that suggests every additional thousand tourists can create at least three new jobs within the sector.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the minister outlined a strategic vision for the next decade that includes setting concrete goals to realize this potential. By 2036, key performance indicators aim for international tourist arrivals to increase fivefold, surpassing one million visitors annually. This ambitious target is supported by efforts to increase the average length of stay, particularly by attracting high-spending European tourists who are more likely to explore beyond the capital city of Luanda.
The minister also stressed the importance of enhancing domestic tourism flows to maintain a steady demand for tourism services year-round, which could help stabilize hotel occupancy rates beyond the traditional peak seasons. He was optimistic about the recent milestone of reaching 223,000 international tourists, a number that not only surpasses pre-pandemic figures from 2019 but also reverses a prior downward trend.
Highlighting a shift in visitor demographics, Daniel noted a 20% increase in leisure tourists, rising from approximately 43,400 in 2024 to over 52,000 in 2025. He remarked, "Quality is more important than quantity. The profile of our visitors is finally changing."
Furthermore, the minister introduced reforms to streamline the licensing process for operators, allowing them to obtain licenses and enter the tourism statistical system within 20 minutes. This efficiency aims to facilitate the regular assessment of visitor spending and ensure that government policies are profitable for businesses.
Daniel also pointed to strategic agreements with the national financial system, which involve innovative financial mechanisms designed to stimulate aggregate demand in the domestic market rather than traditional supply-side interventions. These initiatives are intended to address one of the sector's main challenges-seasonal fluctuations in demand-by boosting domestic tourism consumption.
