Mauritius tourism minister makes new hotel grading criteria public
MAURITIUS TOURISM PROMOTION AUTHORITY REVEALS NEW HOTEL GRADING CRITERIA The Mauritius Minister for Tourism Mr. Michael Sik Yuen earlier this week made public the criteria to be used for the classification and grading of hotels across the island. Aimed at enhancing the quality of services and reflect the reality of how clients see a hotels […]
Qatar Airways announces plans for more JFK flights, more US destinations next year
QATAR AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES MAJOR PLANS FOR MORE US BOUND FLIGHTS Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker has during a visit to Montreal, where he also visited the Bombardier assembly plant outside the city, announced major plans for the airlines flights to the United States. Regular travelers on QR will be delighted to hear that […]
Nairobi High Court dismisses frivolous case by small scale KQ shareholder
HIGH COURTS SENDS DISGRUNTLED KQ SHAREHOLDER PACKING The High Court in Nairobi dismissed with costs the application of a small, if not minute shareholder in Kenya Airways to stop the ongoing share rights issue, when it sent a Mr. Rakesh Gadani into the legal cold. While granting him the right to sue, a principal right […]
LION2 fibre optic network cable reaches the Kenyan coast, adding more capacity to the market
FOURTH SEABED FIBRE OPTIC CABLE LANDS IN MOMBASA Connectivity will be vastly improved, as will back up in case of service disruptions as seen recently when two of the three cables had been damaged at the same time, with the arrival of LIONS2 at the Kenyan coast. The Lower Indian Ocean Network 2 is according […]
Air Uganda ups frequencies, introduces special offers as fight for market share intensifies
AIR UGANDA SERVES NOTICE OF INTENT Air Uganda has now started upping flights from Entebbe to a number of destinations across their existing network. Kigali will be served twice a day three times a week with the intention to eventually going double daily throughout the week it is understood. Bujumbura, in conjunction with Kigali, has […]
WTA Ceremony for Africa / Indian Ocean region set for Nairobi in September
WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS FOR AFRICA COME TO NAIROBI IN SEPTEMBER September 26th has been set for Kenyas first ever hosting of the Oscars of Travel when this unique annual award ceremony will come to East Africa s foremost tourism country to celebrate global travel in an African setting. The Africa Hotel Investment Forum, which is […]
Jambo Jet, Kenya Airways’ answer to LCC competition, still due to be launched this year
JAMBO JET IS COMING THIS YEAR Kenya Airways own low cost carrier Jambo Jet is still expected to take to the skies over Kenya and across Eastern Africa by 2012, it was learned from a regular source in Nairobi. The new airline will be a fully owned subsidiary of Kenya Airways but operate under its […]
ATCL’s statement on Kigoma accident seen as ‘feeble and unworthy’
ATCLS CEO STATEMENT SEEN AS FEEBLE, UNWORTHY Aviation observers in the region reacted with some scorn to the response by Air Tanzanias Acting CEO Paul Chizi to the most recent accident of the airlines single plane, a Bombardier Q300, which crashed on takeoff at Kigoma, tearing off the undercarriage, part of a wing and an […]
Seychelles arrivals for 2012 up ‘significantly’ already
SEYCHELLES ARRIVALS SIGNIFICANTLY UP ON YEAR BY YEAR COMPARISON Figures were just released by the Seychelles National Bureau of Statistics have put a big smile on the combined faces in the archipelagos tourism industry, confirming a 12 percent rise, year by year, of arrivals in the first week of April. 2011 was a record year […]
Khartoum walks out of Addis talks after more bombings of Southern Sudan’s territory
KHARTOUM REGIME ACCUSED OVER WAR MONGERING The African Union sponsored talks between the Khartoum regime and the government of Southern Sudan have been left hanging in doubt, when accusations and counter-accusations led to the temporary withdrawal of one delegation. A regular source from Juba on request but insisting on anonymity due to the sensitivity of […]
Turkish Airlines host Turkish Festival at Sheraton Kampala Hotel
TURKISH AIRLINES SPONSOR TURKISH FESTIVAL AT SHERATON KAMPALA HOTEL The second edition of the Turkish Festival is going underway tonight at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, again sponsored by Turkish Airlines which flew in the dancers, musicians, chefs and food specialities to offer a true Turkish Delight to Kampaleans until the 21st of April, when […]
Tsunami alert reveals state of preparedness along East Africa’s shores
TSUNAMI ALERTS PROVIDE REAL TIME TEST FOR INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS AND EAST AFRICA When news broke yesterday about an 8.6 initial earthquake off Indonesias Aceh province, followed by an 8.2 strong aftershock, Tsunami alerts were sounded across the Indian Ocean and as far as the African mainland. When the alert was called off hours later, […]
Rwanda’s Gishwati Forest expected to be elevated to national park status in 2012/13 financial year
GISHWATI FOREST SET FOR NATIONAL PARK STATUS IN 2012/13 FY For over 5 years now have Rwandan conservation bodies, NGO s and individuals been working on their plans to restore Gishwati forest to its former glory, working hand in hand with The Great Ape Trust and other international partners. Rwanda as a country added to […]
Kingdom Hotels Prince Alwaleed visits Burundi
ALWALEED VISITS BURUNDI ON POSSIBLE INVESTMENT MISSION Saudi Prince Alwaleed, who rose to some notoriety in Uganda over his failed investment for a 5 star hotel ahead of the CHOGM Summit in 2007 inspite of having been given a prime chunk of city land for free has apparently set his eyes on the region once […]
Mauritius set to tap eco tourism market by 2013 with new trails and hikes
MAURITIUS SET TO REVAMP NATURE TRAILS TO INCREASE ECO TOURISM EARNINGS Information has been received from a regular source in Port Louis / Mauritius that the Ministry of Tourism is discussing with other government departments and agencies a complete facelift and overhaul of trails and hikes across the island, with the aim to offer greater […]
Air Tanzania’s sole plane crashes in Kigoma after botched takeoff attempt, 39 passengers and crew all survive
AIR TANZANIAS ONLY PLANE CRASHES IN KIGOMA The financial input by the government of Tanzania into a rescue attempt for ATCL has yesterday come crashing down, pun fully intended, when the airlines single operating plane, a Bombardier Q300 crashed upon a botched takeoff attempt in Kigoma, according to reports from a regular aviation source in […]
Seychelles government approves SHTA request to restore Director of Tourism Marketing position
SEYCHELLES GOVERNMENT APPROVES CREATION OF DIRECTOR OF TOURISM MARKETING POSITION It was learned from a usually well informed and very reliable source in Victoria that the Seychelles government has responded positively to the request made by the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association, that following the move by Mr. Alain St. Ange, who formerly held this […]
ETS comes under more fire with Arab Air Carriers Association also demanding its suspension
ETS COMES UNDER MORE FIRE The European Unions stubborn insistence of sticking to their hugely controversial Emission Trading Scheme or in short ETS has raised opposition from literally around the world, paving the way for a potentially damaging trade war between the EU and China, India, Russia, the United States and now with the member […]
STB audit murmurs cause industry leaders to shake their heads
STAKEHOLDERS DISMISS STB AUDIT HULLABALOO AS OF NO CONSEQUENCE Regular contributors from the Seychelles islands used the long Easter weekend to make their feelings known over what one individual called misplaced focus about the audit reports the Seychelles Tourist Board had submitted for the past six years. When Alain St. Ange was brought on initially […]
Kenya Wildlife Service responds to disputed poaching statistics, states their own case
KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE RESPONDS TO ECO-TOURISM KENYA AND OTHER CLAIMS In a media statement issued ahead of the Easter weekend, but received too late for timely inclusion in the daily mailings and weekly summary, has KWS Corporate Communications Department finally responded with a detailed account of their own, after the criminal case against the Eco […]
Qatar Airways now permits loyalty card holders to redeem miles in Doha Duty Free
QATAR AIRWAYS ADDS DUTY FREE SHOPPING REWARDS FOR LOYALTY CARD HOLDERS Presently serving 4 destinations in East Africa, daily to Entebbe and Kigali and double daily to Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Qatar Airways seems set to add ever more reasons to travel with them, ahead of their launch of their new destinations Kilimanjaro, Mombasa […]
Weekly summary of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, second edition April 2012
AVIATION, TOURISM AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. A weekly roundup of breaking news, reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on Facebook where the articles also cross load or read the daily […]
Court stops TANAPA from implementing new fee collection
COURT BLOCKS TANAPA FROM IMPLEMENTING NEW FEE COLLECTION Following the reported collapse of a mediation efforts initiated by the complainants HAT, TCT and TATO allegedly caused by TANAPA negotiators not moving an inch from their hardline position, did a court in Tanzania bar TANAPA from implementing their planned collection at park gates of concession fees, […]
Kenya’s aviation union accused of compromising aviation safety and security
AVIATION UNION ACCUSED OF COMPROMISING SAFETY AND SECURITY OVER PAY DEMANDS A periodic source, wishing to remain anonymous, has made allegations against the Kenya Aviation and Allied Workers Union, suggesting the union was deliberately targeting areas of aviation safety and security in an ongoing pay dispute with the Kenya Airports Authority. Several flights, according to […]
Sovereign Suites, Fit for Royalty and certainly fit for your’s truly
SOVEREIGN SUITES, FIT FOR ROYALTY (A view of the main entrance of Sovereign Suites, a mansion extraordinaire in Limuru, outside Nairobi) A recent trip to Kenya permitted me to make use of an extended weekend and gave me the opportunity to visit the now in soft opening stage Sovereign Suites, owned and operated by Sun […]
Kenya Airways resumes Rome flights, share issue take up encouraging after the first week of sale
KENYA AIRWAYS RESTORES ROME FLIGHTS Information from Nairobi confirmed during the week that Kenya Airways has now resumed flights to the Italian capital Rome after a brief suspension of services in March. While it could not be conclusively confirmed, the cause of the suspension was subject to some speculation amongst aviation observers, with opinions ranging […]
AWF brings conservationist organisations to Nairobi to discuss rhino protection
RHINO SUMMIT IN NAIROBI DEVELOPS ACTION PLAN The Nairobi based conservation centre of the African Wildlife Foundation, in short AWF hosted a continental meeting during the week, aimed to discuss strategies on protecting the rhinos, now under assault like never before. Prices for a kilogram of rhino horn have risen to an all time level […]
Congo aviation breaking news – Korongo Airlines sets date for inaugural flight from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa as April 16th
KORONGO AIRLINES SET TO FLY FROM APRIL 16TH As reported here a few months ago in a breaking news announcement, Brussels Airlines Congolese aviation offspring Korongo Airlines has now finally given a date when flights will officially commence. After formally launching their offices last week the airline will be operating out of Lubumbashi. Korongo Airlines […]
Seychelles aviation news – New state of the art scanners introduced at Mahe International Airport
SEYCHELLES BOOST ARRIVAL SECURITY WITH NEW SCANNERS Earlier this week two brand new state of the art scanners were formally commissioned by the Minister for Home Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan at the international airports arrival hall. Aimed to detect prohibited imports such as plants, seeds and even pets the new machines will be used […]
Zanzibar’s 2009 tourism law already up for amendments – figure out why.
ZANZIBAR TOURISM LAW TO BE REVISED AFTER ONLY 3 YEARS A regular source from Dar es Salaam has taken issue with the apparent plans of the government of Zanzibar to amend the Tourism Act of 2009 after hard line legislators suggested moral decay brought by tourists needed to be dealt with. Only last year did […]
