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Africa’s Eden ceases to promote Gabon
7/26/2010 4:50:00 PM
Tourists are unable to visit Loango National Park, South Africa due to the closure of SCD Aviation, which operated flights to the remote area. Operator Africa’s Eden, which arranged eco-tourism trips to the Gabon attraction, has closed its Loango Lodge accommodation indefinitely and stopped promoting Gabon as a tourism destination. “The close down of Loango National Park is a major setback in the development of sustainable tourism in Gabon,” said Africa’s Eden Sales and Marketing Manager Jacqueline van den Broek. “The damage is considerable: over 125 employees will be laid off and millions of euros of tourism investments will be lost, quite aside from the €3 million that Africa’s Eden has contributed towards research, conservation and education at the park.” The news comes after its only transporter, sister regional carrier SCD Aviation, filed for bankruptcy following an on-going dispute with Gabon’s civil aviation authorities (ANAC). A conflict flared between the two started when SCD’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) was up for renewal. The AOC was refused although SCD had met all the requirements. A year later and the airline has shut down, meaning operator Africa Eden can no longer fly customers to the park. In addition, all Gabonese airlines were blacklisted by the European Commission in 2008, which had limited visitor arrivals. “We have made numerous attempts to resolve this dispute amicably for over a year now,” said Founder of Africa’s Eden and SCD Aviation Rombout Swanborn. “The ongoing events and consequences of not being able to operate our aircraft have financially crippled our organisation, leaving us with no choice but to take this drastic measure.” More than £12.5m has been invested in the park in aviation access, tourism infrastructure and nature conservation over the past nine years including new accommodation, eco-camps, training staff and buildings its research for conservation. Africa’s Eden’s international bookings from 1 September have been cancelled and the group will now focus its investments on sustainable development in Principe and the Central African Republic, where its accommodation remains open.
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