Thousands of jobs may be lost in the downstream sector of the aviation industry as technology, poor policy implementation threaten the existence of travel agencies in Nigeria. Chinedu Eze writes that without urgent intervention by government, the country will lose the multi-billion-naira market to foreign operators.
About 20 years ago, a travel agency may have about 10 to 20 workers who canvass for customers, book flights for them and sensitise would-be travellers. Bigger travel agencies had more than the average number of workers and travel agencies dotted the major cities in their thousands with full bloom in Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and other places. But today, thousands of those workers have been lost to technology.
With Global Distribution System (GDS), flights emanating or coming to Nigeria could be booked from any part of the world.
THISDAY learnt that poor regulation by government agencies has also opened the door…
