Mauritius hopes Visa rule relaxation will rekindle tourism fortunes

MAURITIUS RELAXES VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR 75 COUNTRIES A regular source from Port Louis has confirmed information, that Mauritius has relaxed Visa requirements for 29 African countries and 75 countries overall, aimed to facilitate greater bonds with those countries vis a vis trade and travel. Restrictive Visa regimes were according to tourism sources from Mauritius at […]

Jetlink’s woes just got worse as creditors move to court

CREDITORS MOVE ON JETLINK TO PROTECT THEIR CLAIMS The High Court in Nairobi has granted what must be the first of several applications by creditors of grounded privately owned Kenyan airline Jetlink, as the owners of four of the carrier’s CRJ200 jets have moved to get them ‘taken into CAA custody’. According to a source […]

COMESA Business Forum ends with tourism on the agenda

COMESA BUSINESS FORUM ENDS WITH TALKING TOURISM Tourism was the penultimate item on the agenda of the just ended COMESA Business Forum, which brought together hundreds of business wo/men at the lakeside convention resort of Munyonyo. Two days of intensive business to business meetings alongside a range of keynote speeches and presentations discussed progress made […]

Appeals process starts for the three former tourism leaders

CONVICTED FORMER TOURISM LEADERS START APPEAL HEARING Former Permanent Secretary Rebecca Nabutoola, former KTB CEO Dr. Achieng and former Maniago Safaris CEO Duncan Muriuki yesterday appeared before the High Court in Milimani / Nairobi, pleading to be granted bail ahead of a formal appeal hearing going underway. All three convicts, through their lawyers, cited a […]

More rooms for Serengeti Simba Lodge

SERENGETI SIMBA ADDS STONE HOUSE Located on top of what is locally known as Gambasage Hill inside the Ikona Wildlife Management Area, the Serengeti Simba Lodge has always offered great views, in particular over the Grumeti River and into the Grumeti area of the Serengeti. The latest addition to the lodge is the just opened […]

Safarilink scoop more green honours for carbon neutral operations

SAFARILINK MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW Kenya’s premier safari airline, Safarilink, last week scooped the coveted Enterprise of the Year 2012 – Airlines award at the EcoTourism Kenya gala dinner, where the topmost green performers of Kenya’s tourism industry are recognized for their commitment to reduce their carbon footprint, employ best practice and show […]

Air traffic controllers in Kenya on yet another go slow

KENYA’S ATC INFLICTS MORE PAIN ON AIRLINES Kenya’s aviation primadonnas, aka air traffic controllers, have once again decided to move from regular work to slow go, inflicting some serious pain on travelers and the airlines flying within Kenya but also the international carriers coming to Nairobi. As reported recently, such measures keep piling up delays […]

Entebbe Highway project launches today

PRESIDENT MUSEVENI TO BREAK GROUND AS ENTEBBE HIGHWAY WORK GOES UNDERWAY Construction of the long awaited new toll highway between Kampala and Entebbe will finally go underway as President Museveni will today perform the ground breaking ceremony to signal the formal project start. Two key elements will be covered under the project, namely a new […]

Precision Air confident of long term future as Tanzania’s premier airline

PRECISION AIR TO STICK TO MARKET STRATEGY AS RIVALS REVEAL FARE STRUCTURE Tanzania’s premier airline Precision Air appears undaunted by the prospect of big talking FastJet coming on line in coming weeks, as another ATR42-600 state of the art turboprop aircraft joined their fleet a few days ago. FastJet appears to be putting as many […]

Legal cases over KTB appointments end, for now

KTF WITHDRAWS CASE AGAINST MWAZO The pending court case by the Kenya Tourism Federation against tourism minister Danson Mwazo was yesterday withdrawn in the High Court in Nairobi, following the Industrial Court’s decision earlier to re-instate Muriithi Ndegwa to the position as rightful CEO of the Kenya Tourism Board. A regular source in Nairobi attributed […]

Kenya Airways appoints Chris Diaz as new Marketing Director

KENYA AIRWAYS APPOINTS CHRIS DIAZ AS NEW DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Kenya Airways has just announced the appointment of Mr. Chris Diaz as their new Director of Marketing, effective immediately. Chris joins Kenya Airways from BIDCO Group where he served as the Group Marketing Director, overseeing functions in Communications, Corporate Affairs and Business Development across different […]

Congo fails to draw Rwanda into civil conflict

CONGO’S REGIME TROOPS FIRE INTO RWANDA In what has been described as a blatant act of aggression and an overt attempt to drag Rwanda into the civil conflict raging in Eastern Congo, have regime soldiers fired mortar rounds and shells into Rwanda, killing at least two innocent Rwandans and injuring several more. Notably this is […]

STB Chairman launches new hotel investment tender

SEYCHELLES INVESTMENT BUREAU SEEKS INVESTORS FOR AIRPORT HOTEL PROJECT As the archipelago is gearing up towards yet another major tourism festival, SUBIOS, aka The Festival of the Sea, has the Seychelles Investments Bureau launched the Ile Soleil project where a major new hotel, located within close distance to the international airport is at the centre […]

5th cable to double internet capacity in Kenya and beyond

KENYA TO GET ANOTHER FIBRE OPTIC LINK TO THE WORLD When a planned 4th fibreoptic cable will connect Kenya, and the hinterland countries, with the rest of the world, capacity will nearly double from the present 8.5 terabyte per second to over 15 terabyte a second, allowing for greater penetration of internet usage in Kenya […]

COMESA’s Business Forum brings together hundreds from the 19 member trade bloc

8TH COMESA BUSINESS FORUM GOES UNDERWAY IN KAMPALA An extensive programme awaits participants of the 08th COMESA Business Forum which kicks off today at the lakeside resort convention centre of Munyonyo, ahead of the upcoming 16th Summit of COMESA Heads of State and Government. Top rated speakers will cover a range of topics from Africa’s […]

Serena Beach bags Eco Warrior Award 2012

SERENA BAGS KENYA’S ECO WARRIOR AWARD 2012 The Serena Beach Hotel and Spa was last weekend crowned with EcoTourism Kenya’s Eco Warrior Award for 2012 in recognition of nearly 20 years of dedication towards turtle and butterfly conservation along Shanzu Beach in Mombasa, where the resort is located. At the same function EcoTourism Kenya also […]

Praslin set to get new Coco de Mer reserve

Fond Ferdinand Seychelles- A new Coco de Mer Nature Reserve open its doors (Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St. Ange planting a Coco de Mer, picture courtesy of MoTC) A few weeks ahead of its official opening, the Praslin special Coco de Mer Nature Reserve, Fond Ferdinand lifted the curtain allowing government representatives […]

UWA starts mountain biking on Mt. Elgon

UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY LAUNCHES MOUNTAIN BIKING AT MT. ELGON Tourism sources have expressed their satisfaction over news that UWA is now permitting the use of mountain bikes at Mt. Elgon National Park, a trans-boundary ecosystem shared with neighbouring Kenya. The formal launch took place last Friday when a group of Irish mountain bikers took to […]

Jetlink case only the tip of the iceberg as South Sudan defaults on large scale

JETLINK SAGA PUTS PRESSURE ON KENYA GOVERNMENT TO ACT ON SOUTH SUDAN The halt of operations by Jetlink, one of Kenya’s leading privately owned airlines, has not only stunned Kenyans but also exposed a weak link in the relations between Kenya and South Sudan, namely payment for goods and services rendered. It is understood from […]

Hong Kong blood ivory seizure triggers ministerial response in Dar es Salaam

KAGESHEKI OWNS UP TO HONG KONG IVORY HAUL, PROMISES FRESH ANTI POACHING EFFORTS When the latest blood ivory shipment was seized in Hong Kong last week, no nonsense Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Khamis Kagesheki, unlike on the last occasion a few weeks earlier, did not call into doubt that the source named by […]

Ethiopian Airlines set for major capacity boost on Berbera route

ETHIOPIAN DOUBLES BERBERA CAPACITY A regular source in Addis Ababa has confirmed that come December 01st the airline will massively increase capacity to Berbera / Somalia in a move seen as broader confirmation that peace is returning progressively to that previously wartorn country and demand for air travel to and from that part of Somalia […]

Vanilla Island Cooperation begins to show impact on tourism marketing

Indian Ocean Islands Community rallies to discuss tourism Photo Caption:- (Top)President Didier Robert of La Reunion welcomes Ministers to his tourism island destination and below Seychelles Ministers Jean Paul Adam (Foreign Affairs) and Alain St.Ange (Tourism & Culture) ‘Tourism cannot be done from our offices, like a fisherman who does not fish in a fishmongers […]

Tour du Rwanda starts today

TOUR DU RWANDA 2012 STARTS TODAY Rwanda’s annual cycling tour is going underway this morning at the national Amahoro Stadium with the first of the 8 stages this year taking riders across the capital Kigali. 15 Teams from 8 African countries and beyond are competing for the honours, a tough test though as the route […]

Fresh threats to the survival of the Serengeti

SERENGETI MUST NOT DIE – RELOADED VERSION 2.0 With the contentious and potentially lethal Serengeti Highway not yet fully out of the picture, and the route of a proposed railway line to from Tanga to Musoma on Lake Victoria kept a tightly guarded secret, rousing more suspicion about another battle between conservationists and politicians looming […]

Air Mauritius set to go nonstop to Shanghai

AIR MAURITIUS SET TO LAUNCH NON STOP FLIGHTS TO SHANGHAI Come January 24th Air Mauritius will start nonstop flights between Port Louis and Shanghai, using an Airbus A340 aircraft, dropping the stopover in Kuala Lumpur en route. Flights to Shanghai, via KL, commenced in July last year and helped to increase the number of Chinese […]

SunAfricaHotels ‘Sovereign Suites’ named as best new luxury hotel in Kenya

SOVEREIGN SUITES NAMED AS BEST NEW LUXURY HOTEL IN KENYA The Sovereign Suites, opened earlier this year in the hills of Limuru, outside Kenya’s capital Nairobi, has been an instant hit with those seeking luxurious surroundings away from the hustle and bustle of the city, out of the sight of crowds but ever the focus […]

Update of Aweil crash

SUDAN AVIATION RECORD GETS ANOTHER BLOW WITH F50 CRASH IN AWEIL A Kenya registered Fokker 50, used for flights inside Sudan by the International Organization for Migration IOM, crashed yesterday late afternoon while attempting to land in Aweil / South Sudan, coming from the Sudanese capital of Khartoum with a full passenger load of Southern […]

Another crash in Sudan raises more questions about aviation safety

SUDAN AVIATION RECORD GETS ANOTHER BLOW WITH F50 CRASH IN AWEIL (Picture of a F50 – courtesy of Wikipedia) A Kenya registered Fokker 50, used for flights inside Sudan by the International Organization for Migration IOM, crashed yesterday late afternoon while attempting to land in Aweil / South Sudan, coming from the Sudanese capital of […]

Kakira Nile Polo tournament only a week away

KAKIRA NILE POLO CLUB TO HOST THE ANNUAL NILE GOLD INVITATIONAL NEXT WEEKEND The Kakira Nile Polo Club will next weekend host their annual invitational meeting at the Kakira Polo Ground, located on the sprawling Kakira Estate a few miles beyond the Jinja municipality enroute to the East of the country. More information is available […]