Month: September 2012

New railway deal between Kenya and China spells doom for RVR

RIFT VALLEY RAILWAYS GETS PUNISHED FOR SLOW DEVELOPMENT PACE News are emerging from Nairobi that the Kenyan government, after reaching a principal agreement with neighbours Uganda on the format of a new railway line from Mombasa via Nairobi and Malaba to Kampala, has signed a major deal with China to construct a parallel railway line […]

From Rivertrees at Usa River to the Blues & Chutney in Arusha

BLUES & CHUTNEY OFFERS A NEW DIMENSION IN B&B HOSPITALITY IN ARUSHA Its a Bed and Breakfast Its a Bistro Its a Bar Its a Lounge (Temptations galore at the new Chutney & Blues) And yes, it is just about all one needs when visiting Arusha, the Capital City of East Africa. Opened just a […]

EATP set to launch in Uganda on World Tourism Day

EATP TO LAUNCH IN UGANDA ON WORLD TOURISM DAY This years World Tourism Day celebrations in Uganda on the 27th of September will be spiced up with the expected launch of East Africas tourism private sector platform, EATP, which will complete the circuit of launches across the East African Community member states. Celebrated around the […]

Seychelles receives the first wind power turbines at Port Victoria

GREEN WIND POWER PLANTS ARRIVE IN PORT VICTORIA As reported here previously, the Seychelles governments policy to introduce greener sources of energy had earlier this year resulted in a contract to be signed for constructing two wind power plants on the main island of Mahe. Located at Ile du Port and Ile de Romainville the […]

RwandAir set to receive Africa’s first CRJ900 in a month

RWANDAIR SET TO SOAR AS NEW AIRCRAFT DELIVERIES DRAW CLOSER (RwandAirs new CRJ 900 jet, in the final stages of assembly) When half a year ago news were broken here that RwandAir had indeed put pen to paper and ordered two brand new CRJ900 jets, plus at least one confirmed additional option from Bombardier in […]

Transition Authority directive may halt divestiture of KTDC shareholdings

CONFUSION REIGNS OVER ASSET DIRECTIVE BY THE TRANSITION AUTHORITY A directive issued earlier this week by Kenyas Transition Authority which is charged with an orderly transfer of assets to a number of new administrative entities created under the new constitution, has thrown in doubt efforts to divest of shareholdings by the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation, […]

GVTC gets 30.000 US Dollar donation from Norway to continue gorilla protection work

GVTC RAISES 30.000 US DOLLARS FOR VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK SUPPORT The Rwanda based Greater Virunga Transboundary Cooperation which brings together the three gorilla countries of Rwanda, Uganda and Congo DR, has reportedly managed to raise 30.000 US Dollars in financial support for the Virunga National Park in the Eastern Congo, located right in the middle […]

Flights resume between Juba and Khartoum as regime embargo finally lifted

FLIGHTS BETWEEN JUBA AND KHARTOUM RESUME AFTER 6 MONTHS BREAK Following the outbreak of hostilities earlier this year, initiated by Khartoums rogue regime attempting to reverse the independence decision of its former Southern population by means of naked aggression, were flights between the two capitals of Juba and Khartoum halted by the Northern civil aviation […]

UNDP and GEF offer partnerships worth 220 million Kenya Shillings

UNDP AND GEF SET TO PARTNER WITH KENYA TO PROMOTE WESTERN TOURIST CIRCUIT Information has been ascertained that the United Nation Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility, in short GEF, have set aside a joint 220 million Kenya Shillings to support partnered initiatives with amongst others the Kenya Forest Service, the Kenya Wildlife Service […]

Seychelles Tourism Academy partners with Air Seychelles for new aviation courses

SEYCHELLES TOURISM ACADEMY VENTURES INTO AVIATION COURSES The Seychelles Tourism Academy has earlier in the week signed a Memorandum of Understanding with national airline Air Seychelles in a move which will see training personnel from the airline help in teaching relevant course material at the STA in La Misere. A regular contact from the academy […]

Kagesheki raps laziness and latecoming at Namanga border post

PULL UP YOUR SOCKS KAGESHEKI TELLS NAMANGA IMMIGRATION STAFF Complaints received while on a recent visit to Kenya, about the often slow and cumbersome processing of tourists, prompted the no nonsense and hands on Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Amb. Khamis Kagesheki earlier this week to make a surprise visit to the border post […]

Kenya Airways’ stands firm in face of attempts to apply political pressure

MUSCLE FLEXING OVER KENYA AIRWAYS CONTROL SEEN AS AN ACT IN VAIN When Kenya Airways management recently, and rightly, ignored an illegal directive by the Prime Minister over the planned staff rationalization programme, Odinga, who had made himself a willing tool of the unions links with which is a long standing hallmark of his familys […]

FastJet selects Tanzania as start up country for operations

FAST JET SELECTS TANZANIA AS AFRICAN START UP COUNTRY A periodic source from the UKs aviation industry has passed information that Tanzania has been selected as the first country to commence FastJet operations in Eastern Africa, no surprise to regional aviation pundits who have harboured doubts about Kenya being the first as a result of […]

Tanzania’s tourism and conservation structure faces a major overhaul

TANZANIA TOURISM AND CONSERVATION INSTITUTIONS FACE MAJOR RESTRUCTURING Regular sources from Dar es Salaam report that a high powered delegation from Zimbabwes Tourism Authority were in Tanzania recently on invitation of the government, holding bilateral discussions and sharing experience of how the institutional structure of Tanzanias tourism and wildlife management could be streamlined and improved. […]

Now Brussels Airlines ditches Mombasa too

NOW BRUSSELS AIRLINES PULLS MOMBASA FLIGHTS TOO A regular source from within Brussels Airlines, with the utmost reluctance and on condition of strictest anonymity, confirmed what the aviation grapevine had been whispering about for the past few days, that indeed the planned flights from Brussels to Mombasa, once a week, have been shelved. Initially due […]

Uganda’s funding for tourism marketing comes under the spotlight again

MINISTRY OF TOURISM TO TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT FUNDING SOURCES Details are beginning to emerge of how best to make operational certain provisions in the Tourism Act pertaining to the introduction of a levy, which could solve the perennial problems of marketing funding the sector has suffered over the past two decades. While provided […]

KAA Board finally signs on to ‘Project Greenfield’ contract

KAA SIGNS CONTRACT AS PRESSURE ON CHAIRMAN GROWS TO RESIGN Information was received over the weekend that the Kenya Airport Authority has finally signed on to the contract for what is generally referred to as Project Greenfield, the planned major expansion of Nairobis Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with a second runway and a completely new […]

Affordable Seychelles, a reality and no longer a myth

AFFORDABLE SEYCHELLES NOT A MYTH AS THE FACTS SUPPORT REALITY When talking to friends, acquaintances and business partners about the Seychelles, and going by the feedback from my blog, now with just about 200.000 hits, it almost always evokes awe, envy at times but for sure fires up the interest and desire of my listeners […]

Tanzanian wildlife official insists hunting of elephant must continue

NO RESPITE FOR ELEPHANTS AS TANZANIAN OFFICIALS INSIST HUNTING MUST CONTINUE Reports presented to the Tanzanian parliament a few weeks ago, that up to 30 elephant a day are being killed by poachers due to rising demand in China and other Asian countries for ivory, made stark reading and put the continued survival of the […]

Kikwete remains shtumm on key issues over aviation and tourism access

KIKWETE REMAINS SHTUMM ON KEY AVIATION AND TOURISM ISSUES WHILE IN KENYA Whatever hopes and expectations there may have been, as a result of President Jakaya Kikwetes visit earlier this week to Kenya, the Kenyan aviation and tourism sectors are far from satisfied. While speaking at a dinner organized for him by the Kenya Association […]

Nairobi’s JKIA expansion given cabinet nod and fast track orders

KIMUNYAS FATE IN BALANCE AS CABINET TURNS ON HIM Embattled Amos Kimunya, for now still Minister of Transport while his fate hangs in the balance over investigations by parliamentary committees and after locking horns with cabinet colleagues, will have swallowed hard when the last cabinet session on Thursday this week, chaired by President Kibaki, tossed […]

Fairmont Kenya presents new executive chef Karan Suri to the media

FAIRMONT KENYA INTRODUCES KARAN SURI AS NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF Filling the shoes of an acclaimed predecessor like Hubert de Marais is never going to be easy but Fairmont Kenya went out of their way to secure the services of Karan Suri, who going by the feedback received while in Kenya over the past 10 days, […]

Seychelles Tourism Academy gets a further 15 study places from Shannon College

SEYCHELLES TOURISM ACADEMY TO SEND ANOTHER 15 STUDENTS TO SHANNON Within the space of two weeks, after STA and the National Human Resources Development Council handed over air tickets to 14 students selected to go for their Bachelor Degree Course in Irelands Shannon College, did news emerge that the Irish institution has offered the Seychelles […]

The Boma, Nairobi’s latest 5 star hotel now ready to open its doors

A NEW KID ON THE BLOCK THE BOMA HOTEL NAIROBI The names Red Cross and hotels are not always considered compatible in the same sentence but in Kenya, the Red Cross Society is about to change that with a bang, when the new Boma Hotel will open its doors officially in a short while from […]

Air Mauritius confirms Viljoen as CEO and appoints Appalsamy as Chairman

AIR MAURITIUS ACTING CEO FINALLY GETS THE JOB FOR GOOD Following an almost inexplicably long period as Acting CEO was Mr. Andre Viljoen finally confirmed as Chief Executive Officer of Air Mauritius earlier this week, having served in an acting capacity for nearly two years since December 2010. A regular source in Port Louis also […]

ATCNews: 

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome is the founder and publisher of ATCNews, Eastern Africa’s leading aviation, tourism and conservation news blog of its kind. Wolfgang has over 48 years of experience in the tourism, aviation and conservation fields in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, covering all aspects of safari-, hotel- and air-operations. 

The Managing Editor of ATCNews is Mrs. Esther C. Goossens.

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