One of the first hotels to sell out was the Hotel Praia Morena, which has 124 rooms and will begin welcoming guests starting next Friday. This hotel is joined by the Mombaka (109 rooms), Luso (55 rooms), and the Aparthotel Mil Cidades (68 apartments), all of which are fully booked.
Quoted by Angop, José André Segunda, manager of the Hotel Praia Morena, assured that everything is ready to best welcome all visitors who booked accommodations.
He also said he views the full occupancy of hotels in the province, due to the FMCA – which will take place from August 7th to 10th at the Ombaka National Stadium – as a revitalizing opportunity for industry professionals, with a view to revitalizing the sector.
Elisa Paquete, the public relations officer for the Mombaka Hotel, reported that the hotel is fully booked, as rooms are occupied by various municipal leaders and private exhibitors. She added that reservations for the fair began in April and are currently fully booked.
Guests begin arriving this Tuesday, and some renovations are underway to improve comfort: "Some renovations are being done in the rooms to improve the comfort of guests who will begin arriving on July 29th."
With three stars and prices ranging from 75,000 to 95,000 kwanzas per person, the Hotel Luso is another hotel that is fully booked.
Quoted by Angop, the hotel manager, Luísa Gonçalves, expressed a "sense of accomplishment" due to the fact that reservations from guests, mainly from Luanda, Lubango, and Cuito, were made two months ago, giving the hotel establishments more time to organize.
The Mil Cidades Aparthotel's sold-out capacity was also confirmed by the hotel's reception manager, Baptista Soma José.
"We already closed sales for the Municipalities and Cities Fair a month and a half ago," he said.
"For us, it's a responsibility because we'll be welcoming people from other provinces, with different habits and customs," he said, expressing optimism about how Benguela will meet lodging expectations, being the country's second-largest tourist destination, behind Luanda.
But not only hotels are selling out; similar properties in Benguela, such as guesthouses and inns, are also fully booked. This is the case with Residencial Asmara, which, according to its manager, Antonio Tomás Inácio, has all nine rooms reserved since March by Elisal for the FMCA.
The Rasimão guesthouses are also nearly sold out. According to Yuri Sambo, marketing manager for the 'Rasimão' residential chain, two of the chain's facilities (one with 30 rooms and the other with 12) are nearly at capacity for the event, with prices starting at 13,000 kwanzas.
Besides accommodations, gastronomy is another important aspect, with Benguela hotels striving to please guests with typical national and international dishes.
Taking place from August 7th to 10th at the Ombaka National Stadium, this year's edition of the fair has the motto "Life is made in the municipalities," with over 24,000 visitors expected.
According to Pascoal Luís, director of the Provincial Office of Youth, Sports, Culture, and Tourism, although hotels and similar establishments are practically sold out, the more than 4000 rooms and 8000 beds are not sufficient to meet the demand of the more than 300 municipalities participating in the event, writes Angop.
