By Taiye Olayemi
Flyzone Tourism has launched a visa assistance centre in Lagos to create seamless travel opportunities for Nigerian travellers.
Mr Ayodeji Awomoyi, Principal Executive of Flyzone Tourism, during a press conference on Wednesday, in Lagos, said that the centre was created to properly educate travellers based on travel and visa options.
After working closely with Nigerian travel agents for over a decade, Awomoyi said he recognised the need for direct engagement with travellers, leading to the establishment of the centre in Lagos.
“We are open in Lagos now to get closer to the bulk of the Nigerian travellers who are majorly in Lagos. We have been in Port Harcourt and Abuja operating with no fewer than 6,000 travel agents.
“Now, we are moving from Business to Business (B2B) operations to Business to Customer (B2C) to deal with all bottlenecks experienced by the travelling public.
“We believe operating in Lagos will make passports submission and physical documentation review easier.
“Currently, we handle procurement of electronic-visas (e-visas) for about 13 countries, like: Morocco, South Africa, Qatar, Uganda, Kenya, East Africa and more.
“And one of our sweet product is China Business visa, we are ready to get these visas for people who are into supply or those interested in going to build relationships with suppliers in China,” he said.
While addressing concerns on whether the centre’s expansion to Lagos might
create competition with existing travel agencies, he reassured that the company’s focus would remain on collaboration and innovation, not competition.
He said, “We are not here to take jobs
from travel agencies. We are here to target other sectors and broaden the scope of
what’s possible in Nigerian tourism.
“Our relationships with travel agencies are built on trust, and we are committed to maintaining that trust as we explore new opportunities.”
Speaking on the reason many visa applicants were consistently denied visas, Awomoyi said this was due to lack of knowledge on the destination they intend to visit.
He recommended that travelers thoroughly research their desired destination, enabling them to confidently navigate embassy interviews.
Awomoyi, the multiple award-winning tourism ambassador, expressed his disappointment over the deplorable condition of most tourist sites in Nigeria.
He said that for a destination to be considered viable, it must possess certain essential qualities.
He said these qualities include being visually appealing, easily accessible, and offering amenities such as accommodation, activities, and other attractions.
He advised the federal government to improve on tourism destination management by concessioning most of the tourism sites to private operators for proper management.
He noted that this was necessary in view of the deplorable condition of most local tourism sites, which were not capable of attracting tourists.
