Aviation breaking news – Kenya Airways re-affirms B787 order after reaching deal with Boeing on compensation
KENYA AIRWAYS DECIDES FOR B787 AFTER ALL In what appears to have been a well executed role play, using discussions with Airbus to obtain ultimately the very best deal from Boeing in regard of compensatory concessions for to the extraordinarily long delay of the delivery of the first of 9 B787 Dreamliners, has Kenya Airways finally announced this […]
Nile Basin news update – Nile Waters, continuing to cause controversy
MORE SABRE RATTLING BY EGYPT OVER NILE WATERS Inspite of the political upheavals over the past few months, and a diplomatic charm offensive by the current government in Cairo with visits to Eastern African countries in recent weeks, there is another dimension to the now valid new Nile Treaty, after the signing of Burundi made […]
South Sudan news update – Removal of sanctions to boost tourism and trade
NO ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST INDEPENDENT SOUTH SUDAN Information from Washington will bring great relief to in particular the business community in the soon to be independent new Republic of South Sudan, especially those with interests in the tourism industry. ‘There will be no sanctions against the new country’ was the tenor of the message from […]
Seychelles tourism update – STA graduates tour guides
TOURGUIDES COMPLETE TRAINING AT SEYCHELLES TOURISM ACADEMY A dozen newly ‘crowned’ tour-guides were graduated a few days ago by the STA after completing the first ever such course for ‘freelancers’. The graduates, drawn for a variety of ‘day to day jobs’ underwent intense training, including field work, for the past six weeks, learning about marketing, tourism […]
Aviation news update – Oman Air to connect India with Zanzibar
OMAN AIR TO IMPROVE CONNECTIVITY FROM INDIA TO ZANZIBAR The national airline of the Sultanate of Oman has just announced changed in their scheduling for flights from Muscat to Zanzibar. Effective mid may the airline will offer convenient connections from their four key destinations in India, Dehli, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, operated three times a week […]
Kenya tourism news update – VISA fees to double by July
VISA FEES TO REVERT TO 50 USD Confirmation has been received from Nairobi that Kenya will return to the pre-crisis 50 US Dollar per person Visa fee effective 01st July, partly to raise additional income but also in response to the intransigence of other East African countries to either follow suit or else finally agree […]
Uganda conservation news update – Dead elephants found in forest reserve
DEAD ELEPHANTS FOUND IN FOREST RESERVE OUTSIDE QENP Unsettling news came to light overnight that several dead and apparently poached elephant had been found in a national forest reserve outside the Queen Elizabeth National Park, although staff from the National Forest Authority and the Uganda Wildlife Authority appear to differ on the number. Be it […]
Uganda news update – New tourism master plan in the making
NEW TOURISM MASTER PLAN IN THE OFFING The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Ambassador Onen, has spoken out on the sectoral development, which in the recent past was marred by discontent and squabbles between public and private sector. While admitting that lack of sufficient funding was to blame for much of the woes […]
Uganda hospitality news update – James Rattos promoted to Sales and Marketing Director
SHERATON KAMPALA HOTEL GETS NEW SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR James Rattos, long serving staff member and until very recently the hotel’s Food and Beverage Manager, has moved to take over the sales and marketing department, undoubtedly much to the relief of the Sheraton’s clientele, the sales staff and not the least this correspondent, who enjoys very […]
Uganda news update – Current situation report on Nile river accident
NILE RIVER ACCIDENT RESCUE MISSION NOW MOVING TOWARDS RECOVERY PHASE The latest information from Chobe Safari Lodge indicates that the wreckage of the stricken, and only recently imported river boat, has been spotted and is due to be recovered and brought back to the lodge to also provide clues and evidence in the unfolding enquiry […]
Uganda breaking news story – Madhvani Group takes over The Ark and The Aberdare Country Club in Kenya
MARASA COMPLETES TAKEOVER OF ‘THE ARK’ AND ‘ABERDARE COUNTRY CLUB’ Information here alluded to some months ago already has now finally been confirmed, which was bringing two prime Kenya properties into the fold of the Madhvani Group. Following their acquisition last year of a tented safari camp in the Masai Mara, Marasa has indeed taken advantage […]
Uganda breaking news story – Ministry of Tourism to be split off from Trade and Industry
TOURISM TO BE SEPARATED FROM TRADE AND INDUSTRY Long standing demands by the tourism industry to revert to a standalone ministry dedicated to tourism and related areas finally seem to have fallen on fertile ears, as news are firming up that the new cabinet in the making will once again, the first time since the […]
Rwanda news update – Gadaffi’s ‘RwandaTel’ now to be wound up
RWANDATEL WINDING UP ORDER FILED The Rwandan government rarely does anything with half measures, and following the story last week that they have cancelled the mobile license of erstwhile national phone operator RwandaTel, leaving them with the scraps of a small fixed network, the next step was taken yesterday. Majority owned by Libya’s dictator Gadaffi, […]
Tanzania conservation news update – Controversy continues over Tanzania’s hunting block allocations
DECISIONS STILL PENDING ON 156 HUNTING BLOCKS Information was received from Dar es Salaam overnight that after the 12th March application deadline, awards for as many as 156 hunting blocks / concessions for the period 2013 to 2018 are still undecided. The minister for natural resources and tourism conceded this point apparently in parliament on […]
Aviation news update – AFRAA demands greater government controls
AFRAA DEMANDS BETTER CONTROLS OVER ACCESS OF FOREIGN AIRLINES The African Airline Association has renewed calls to African government to be more careful when entering into open skies agreements and granting foreign airlines traffic rights, including 5th freedom rights. The Nairobi based organization demanded that African governments promote closer cooperation between their own airlines, which were […]
Uganda conservation news update – Mt. Elgon park boundaries ‘safe for now’
GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRATS TO HALT FOREST GIVEAWAY DIRECTIVE The recent news that president Museveni had issued a directive to carve out land from the Mt. Elgon National Park to resettle several hundred families has hit a near dead end, when it became known that a group of experts, constituted by the Prime Minister’s Office, had spoken […]
Arusha’s hotels hope to benefit from ‘court tourism’
ARUSHA HOPES TO BENEFIT FROM ‘COURT TOURISM’ News broke overnight that the Arusha based African Court of Justice and Human Rights has issued an order for Gadaffi and his bunch of goons to appear before court and defend themselves against a series of charges brought against them over massive violation of human rights. An ‘Order […]
Mauritius hospitality news update – Constance’s Belle Mare Plage bags more awards
CONSTANCE’S BELLE MARE PLAGE BAGS MORE AWARDS The Belle Mare Plage on Mauritius has just added two more trophies to their swelling cabinet when the ‘Golf Journal’ handed them a bronze award for ‘Best Golf Course Worldwide’ followed by ‘Best Hotel Worldwide’. Taking over the ‘Best Hotel Worldwide’ prize from sister hotel Constance Lemuria Resort in […]
Uganda conservation news update – ‘Mary the elephant’ killed near Katunguru
WINDOW SHOPPING ELEPHANT POISONED The female elephant, recently risen to fame when pictures were published in the Uganda media about walking along the Katunguru roadside stores, was apparently poisoned and found dead. Local shop keepers are suspected to have had a hand in the elephant killing, robbing tourists of a magnificent attraction, being able to come […]
Uganda news update – Official statement from Chobe Safari Lodge about river accident
CHOBE BOAT ACCIDENT : 9 April 2011 Chobe Safari Lodge arranged a third familiarization trip for 26 local Travel Agents on 9th- and 10th April 2011. The purpose of the tour was to create awareness of the new property and its facilities, to enable the Travel Agents to promote the Lodge with more insight, […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region – Second edition April 2011
TOURISM, AVIATION AND CONSERVATION NEWS from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean region A weekly roundup of reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates via Twitter @whthome or on my blog: www.wolfganghthome.wordpress.com Second edition April 2011 GOOD SAFARI GUIDE SET TO HONOUR AFRICA’S VERY BEST […]
Uganda news update – Historical rock paintings found in Karamoja
NEW CAVE PAINTINGS FOUND IN NORTH EASTERN UGANDA The cultural aspects of tourism to Uganda have for long been underestimated and underexploited, inspite of some feeble attempts to organize regular tours to see the seats of the working kingdoms in Uganda or else make more of the pilgrimage potential of the annual ‘Martyr’s Day’ when […]
Seychelles news update – ‘Affordable Seychelles’ campaign to stay
AFFORDABLE SEYCHELLES CAMPAIGN TO CONTINUE The Seychelles Tourist Board remains fully committed to go on with its ‘Affordable Seychelles’ campaign, launched first when the world slid into the global economic and financial crisis and the tourism sector across the archipelago looked into the abyss. Since then of course the new private public partnership at the […]
Uganda news update – More Libyan managers ‘evicted’
UTL’S LIBYAN MANAGERS ALSO OUSTED As Uganda’s decision to fully apply the sanction and asset freeze regime mandated by the UN Security Council against assets in Uganda owned by Gadaffi and his cronies, more news emerged about how these activities ‘show teeth’ for the affected companies. Uganda Telecom’s Libyan Chief Executive – described by several […]
Aviation news update – Kenya Airways overwhelms competition with special ‘Easter Egg
KENYA AIRWAYS ‘EASTER EGG’ FULL OF GOODIES Kenya Airways has just announced that they will offer a one way fare, all taxes included, between Nairobi and Kisumu and Nairobi and their coastal destinations Malindi and Mombasa of 3.000 Kenya Shillings, twice that much for return. This is actually a match of their ‘normal’ stand by […]
Uganda news update – Four found, two still missing in Nile excursion mishap
NARROW ESCAPE AS NILE BOAT CAPSIZES While four passengers on a sundowner trip on the Nile, above Murchisons Falls, were found alive on a little rocky island last night two others appear to be still missing as this story goes to print. A combined rescue mission was called in through the Uganda’s Peoples Defence Forces, which […]
Aviation news update – Emirates to link Africa with South America
EMIRATES TO LINK AFRICA TO SOUTH AMERICA Come January 2012 Emirates according to a source at the Kampala office of the airline, will offer daily connections from their East African destinations, via Dubai, to Rio de Janeiro and then on to Buenos Aires, using a B777-300ER aircraft. The information was passed as part of a general […]
Uganda news update – Fuel shortages combine with run away prices
FUEL PRICES KEEP RISING The weakness of the Uganda Shilling combined with rising international crude oil prices have driven fuel prices to new record highs in the country, with petrol now costing in excess of 3.500 Uganda Shillings and diesel catching up fast, selling in some city stations already at 3.200 Uganda Shillings per litre. […]
Good Safari Guide Awards now just weeks away
GOOD SAFARI GUIDE SET TO HONOUR AFRICA’S VERY BEST On the eve of the annual INDABA tourism trade fair in South Africa, to be held this year on the 06th of May in Durban, the winners of Africa’s best resorts, beach hotels, boutique hotels, safari lodges and safari camps will be announced again, after the […]
Uganda news update – Loan approvals for Nile bridge and new Entebbe Highway rushed to parliament
‘NEW ENTEBBE HIGHWAY’ FUNDING GOES BEFORE PARLIAMENT The rush is now on to get as much work still done in parliament before its term expires and the ministry of works and transport handed the house a request to be permitted to borrow 350 million US Dollars from China for the financing of the new planned […]
