The tourism sector and the private sector in general say they are very dissatisfied with the measures imposed by the Malagasy authorities for the reopening of the borders of the Big Island to the rest of the world. In fact, there were no new flights arriving at Malagasy airports this Saturday, March 5. The conditions of entry to Madagascar were also announced by the authorities on the day of the reopening.
With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Laetitia Bezain
After two years of closure, these strict conditions do not give businesses hope. PCR test on arrival and two-day confinement at the hotel at the expense of the traveler, reopening of only three airports to international flights, new conditions imposed on air carriers to fight against the trafficking of mineral resources, such as gold. .. Heavy measures that divert tourists, business relations and airlines from the Big Island, says Aina Raveloson, president of the Madagascar Tourism Confederation and vice-president of the Madagascar Business Group.
” We are really worried, shocked and scandalized by the measures that the State wishes to put in place to condition this reopening, says Aina Raveloson. We take 99% of the economy hostage to try to stop 1% of traffickers. Today, we are limited to two or three airlines. We had also hoped that as part of this reopening, health measures would be eased as the rest of the world has done. But this is not the case today and that is really a brake on economic development. We are falling further and further behind. »
The fight against the trafficking of mineral resources should be assumed by customs and other state institutions and not by the airlines, underline the economic operators. We still do not have any new flights to Madagascar as everyone had prepared in this direction, laments Aina Raveloson. This lack of visibility, this mixture of genres, penalizes us and will penalize us not only for a week or two weeks but for perhaps even months. This leads to cancellations throughout a tourist season or year. But this loss, which supports her today and for two years ? It’s not the state. It is the operators and it is above all the employees and in the end the economy does not work. »
Because beyond the tourism sector, the lack of air links with the rest of the world affects most businesses. This reopening of the borders is a huge disappointment for the already bloodless private sector, testifies Hery Lanto Rakotoarisoa, president of the Grouping of free companies and partners.
” On paper, it was finally a relief because Madagascar was slow to open its borders, he confides. But this opening is in fact not one because the main destinations, the main partners to name only Mauritius or South Africa, are not part of it. What interests us is freight and being able to travel. Our customers need to make factory visits, to carry out audits at the level of our companies. For example, our Mauritian partners, to come to Madagascar, make a detour via Paris, which is nonsense. There is no incentive at all and the climate that emerges from all these measures taken is very anxiety-provoking for the entrepreneurs that we are. »
Missed business opportunities
These free companies which operate, among other things, in textiles for major brands, in the food industry or in niche markets, such as the manufacture of dental prostheses, are struggling to export their goods.
” It’s a big disappointment because he really lacks skills, says Hery Lanto Rakotoarisoa. There are not enough companies and this leads to extremely high travel and freight costs. This impacts our competitiveness. Air France, which is currently the only freight provider, does not have enough capacity to cover all needs. At the moment, if you send freight by Air France, you are not guaranteed that it will leave within a week. With the exclusion of Ethiopia from AGOA, there are many buyers who are interested in Madagascar but it is very difficult for existing companies to increase their capacity or to take advantage of these opportunities which are emerging. to pass. »
Economic operators are asking the authorities to allow airlines, which operated before the pandemic, to serve Madagascar again, among others, Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines or the South African company Air Link.
” Exchanges with the African continent have grown more and more in recent years, insists Aina Raveloson. We cannot afford today to remain cut off from this part of the world. »