Kenya Airways gets 10th Embraer E190
KENYA AIRWAYS ADDS 10TH E 190 TO FLEET Kenya Airways has confirmed the delivery of their 10th Embraer E190 jet, configured with 12 business class and 84 economy class seats, this being the last of 3 leased from the Air Lease Corporation or in short ALC. The new jet will greatly assist the airline in […]
Leopard Beach Resort and Spa suffers fire damage while undergoing the annual maintenance cycle
LEOPARD BEACH RESORT AND SPA SUFFERS FIRE DAMAGE The Chui as the Leopard Beach is fondly called amongst friends of the resort last night suffered fire damage to the makuti roofs near the main building, when around 02.15 a.m. the fire alarm was sounded by the night staff. The resort is undergoing its annual spring […]
Madagascar International Tourism Fair opened by Seychelles’ tourism minister Alain St. Ange
SEYCHELLES ST. ANGE GUEST OF HONOUR AT MADAGASCAR TOURISM FAIR The Minister for Tourism and Culture of the Seychelles, Alain St. Ange, was invited by the Madagascar government as guest of honour to formally open the islands International Tourism Fair, as Madagascar is trying to re-emerge from the political cold it found itself in over […]
Tanzania’s tourism minister issues statement on Zanzibar situation
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT SEEKS TO REASSURE THE TOURISM INDUSTRY Tanzanias recently appointed Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Khamis Kagesheki, yesterday issued his media statement to the situation on Zanzibar, where violence swept the old Stone Town on Friday and Saturday while other parts of the island came under siege on Monday, as suspects were produced […]
Kenya Airways postpones announcement of share rights issue, combines it with annual financial results publication
KENYA AIRWAYS PUSHES SHARE RIGHTS ISSUE ANNOUNCEMENT TO JUNE 06TH Regular sources were tightlipped at Kenya Airways head offices in Embakasi / Nairobi over the true reasons why the expected media announcement over the performance of the share rights issue was suddenly postponed by a week to 06th June. There is speculation in the market […]
Air Seychelles to double flights to Johannesburg from early 2013 / Routes Africa 2012 update
AIR SEYCHELLES PLAN FOUR FLIGHTS A WEEK TO JOHANNESBURG FROM 2013 Information has come to light that the Seychelles national airline intends to double their presently two flights per week between Mahe and Johannesburg to four from January next year, when more aircraft will have joined the fleet. Due to arrive first is an Airbus […]
Kenya tourism stakeholders meet Minister to discuss Monday incident and future strategy
KENYA TOURISM STANDS TOGETHER TO FACE AFTERMATH OF NAIROBI INCIDENT Key stakeholders from the private and public sector as well as association leaders have stood up to be counted yesterday and condemned the criminal masterminds and perpetrators of the bombing of a shop on Moi Avenue, which injured according to the latest figures some 27 […]
Rwanda holds inaugural guide certification exam
RWANDA GUIDES SIT FOR EXAMS PART ONE OF FOUR While in Kigali it was learned through a number of contacts that the Rwanda Safari Guide Association has yesterday for the first time offered their members to sit for exams for Bronze Status, the entry level for recognized guides to be certified according to both regional […]
Seychelles promote tourist safety and security amidst growing arrival numbers
KEEP SEYCHELLES SAFE SAYS TOURISM MINISTER, WE DEPEND ON TOURISTS As the murder trial on Mauritius is now underway, where two suspects are standing trial over allegations of having killed British tourist Michaela McAreavey in her hotel room, the Seychelles tourism establishment left no opportunity pass last week and this week to publicly promote the […]
Sporadic violence continues into Monday as 30 rioters charged in Zanzibar court
FRESH CHURCH BURNING ON ZANZIBAR AS RIOTERS CHARGED IN COURT At least thirty rioters were charged yesterday in courts of law in Zanzibar, following their arrest over the weekend, when mobs incited by sectarian talk stormed two Christian churches and burned them down. More are expected to appear in court today and though several were […]
Blast shakes Nairobi’s Moi Avenue, 27 injured and no cause confirmed as yet
NAIROBI BLAST LEAVES CITY SHAKEN According to a phoned in report, while on the road in Kenya, did just after 1 p.m. today an explosion take place in a building along Moi Avenue in the centre of Nairobi, injuring at least 27 people who were, according to the Nairobi based source, admitted to the Kenyatta […]
Zanzibar clashes see two churches burnt and running battles between Islamic radicals and security forces
ZANZIBAR RADICALS OPPOSED TO UNION WITH MAINLAND CAUSE WEEKEND CHAOS In what has been described as acts of frenzied madness have radical Islamists attacked at least two churches in Zanzibar over the weekend, setting them on fire while engaging in running battles with security forces, which were rushed to the scene to deal with the […]
Cat Cocos celebrates 5th anniversary of service between Mahe and Praslin
INTER ISLAND FERRY TURNS FIVE (The Cat Cocos as seen during a past visit to the Seychelles) The high speed ferry between the Seychelles main island of Mahe to the archipelagos second island Praslin over the weekend celebrated 5 years in operations, five years of commercial success and five years of taking tourists and Seychellois […]
Haller Park Mombasa – 167.000 visitors and counting
HALLER PARK BAMBURI 167.000 VISITORS IN 2011 AND COUNTING (The entrance of the Bamburi based Haller Park north of Mombasa) Mombasas Haller Park has since its inception in the late 1970s, when the Bamburi Cement quarries looked like moonscapes along the Mombasa Bamburi road, extensive spaces bare of any vegetation at all, been transformed into […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Fourth edition May 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 You can get your daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also cross load or […]
Rwanda Tourism counting down towards Kwita Izina 2012
KWITA IZINA SET FOR SATURDAY 16TH JUNE The clock is now ticking down relentlessly towards the 08th edition of Kwita Izina, the Rwandan festival of the naming the young born mountain gorillas, which is taking place in less than three weeks time. Conservation friends from across Eastern Africa and in fact the entire world are […]
KWS concludes elephant containment activities in the Taita – Taveta area …
KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE DRIVES UP TO 1.000 ELEPHANT INTO TAITA HILLS AND TSAVO A chance meeting with Samuel M. Rukaria, Community Warden for the Taita Hills area, allowed to get some intriguing insights of the challenges KWS and the communities living near the park boundaries of Tsavo East, Tsave West and the Taita Hills Conservancy […]
Kampala Serena goes Italian
KAMPALA SERENA SET FOR ITALIAN WEEK The Explorer Restaurant at the Kampala Serena will be the venue for a week of Italian cuisine, wine tasting and even cookery classes with Chef Fabrizio Mercuri, who is visiting the Kampala Serena to promote his way of presenting Italian dishes. His menu creations during the week of 04th […]
EALA’s Transboundary Ecosystems Bill to be opposed by Tanzania
TANZANIA OPPOSES EAST AFRICAN LAW ON TRANSBOUNDARY ECO SYSTEMS Another showdown with fellow EAC countries appears to be on the horizon, as it became known over the weekend that Tanzania intends to block the EALA passed law on transboundary eco systems, fearing that it would lead to being compelled to drop some of the most […]
MTPA does ‘Copy and Paste’ job on Seychelles’ Carnival success
STEALING SEYCHELLES CARNIVAL CONCEPT THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF KARL? Mauritius Tourism is bracing for stormy times following the formal announcement by MTPAs desperate man Karl Mootoosamy, that he will copy the Seychelles carnival concept as a last ditch effort to show some action, already termed sneaky by sections of the ever more critical […]
Geo Lodges Uganda’s Jacana Safari Lodge bags TripAdvisor regognition
GEO LODGES JACANA SAFARI LODGE BAGS TRIPADVISOR RECOGNITION Geo Lodges Emily Wissanji wasted no time yesterday to spread the good news, that TripAdvisor had awarded their Jacana Safari Lodge, embedded in the rainforest surrounding Lake Nyamusingire in Queen Elizabeth National Park, with a Certificate of Excellence. Jacana, an intimate small and very personalized lodge at […]
Dar es Salaam records increase in attacks on visitors walking from and to their hotels
TANZANIA TOURISM INDUSTRY SHOCKED BY UPSURGE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST VISITORS Information has come to light from the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, that of late a wave of attacks was carried out on foreign visitors staying in some of the poshest hotels in the city, when walking in the evening what were previously thought to […]
Kenya Airways adds 6th B767-300 to fleet
35 AND COUNTING AS KENYA AIRWAYS ADDS A LEASED B767 TO THE FLEET It was learned overnight that Kenya Airways, the Pride of Africa, has added a sixth B767-300 aircraft to their fleet, arranged through a lease contract with ILFC. The airline has been struggling to keep up the pace of expansion it set itself […]
Fibre optic cable will arrive at Beau Vallon Bay on Sunday
FIBRE OPTIC LINK TO THE WORLD SET TO LAND ON SUNDAY The Seychelles will be a step closer to joining the global super information highway at the speed of light, when on Sunday the fibre optic cable presently being laid between the coast of Tanzania and the archipelago is expected to make landfall. Presently connected […]
MV Victoria is safe say operators as lake travelers get unsettled
REPORTS ON MV VICTORIA UNSETTLE LAKE TRAVELLERS (MV Victoria at Mwanza port) Fear and worries have gripped regular lake travelers who were out of the blue confronted with, what has been called irresponsible statements by poorly informed individuals, who set the media on the shipping companys trail. A company spokesperson immediately denied any wrongdoing or […]
Heir to British aristocrat dies following alleged police brutality at Diani police station
DEATH IN CUSTODY SET TO ROCK KENYA / UK RELATIONS Another suspicious death in police custody, and of no less than the heir of a British aristocrat, is bound to cast fresh shadows over Kenya / UK relations. Pathologists, according to reports emerging yesterday at the south coast of Mombasa in Diani, where this correspondent […]
Seychelles and Abu Dhabi sign extensive amendments and additions to Bilateral Air Services Agreements
NEW SEYCHELLES / ABU DHABI BILATERAL AIRSERVICE AGREEMENT SETS PACE FOR FUTURE (Mr. Terence Mondon, Principal Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs and Transport and H.E. Mohammed Hareb Al Yousef from Abu Dhabi Department of Transport exchange documents after signing the new deal) Informationhas just been received that the Seychelles Minister responsible for transport, Joel Morgan, […]
Tanzania’s natural resources and tourism minister cracks whip over corrupt and unpatriotic officials
KAGESHEKI READY TO CRACK THE WHIP AND BOOT THE DEAD WOOD OUT The recently appointed Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Amb. Khamis Kagesheki, when inaugurating the new Board for the Tanzania Forest Service which falls under his ministry, left no doubt where the axe will be falling soon, the wildlife division in his ministry, […]
Congo Civil Aviation grounds 29 planes over safety concerns
CONGO CAA GROWS TEETH, GROUND 29 PLANES A Goma based aviation source in periodic contact with this correspondent has told the story of Congos Civil Aviation Authority, in a flurry of apparently renewed activity, grounding some 29 planes of airlines registered in Kinshasa. The aircraft belong according to the same source to about 20 airlines […]
Protea set to open third property in Uganda, located in Mbale / Eastern Uganda
PROTEA SET TO OPEN NEW HOTEL IN MBALE / EASTERN UGANDA Information was received that Protea Hotels will after Kampala and the recent addition of the Entebbe Airport Protea Hotel open their third property in Uganda at the eastern Ugandan town of Mbale. Located on the foot of Mt. Elgon, a volcanic mountain of just […]
