Sauti Sa Busara 2014 line up begins to emerge
SAUTI ZA BUSARA LINEUP NAMED FOR 2014 EDITION OF AFRICAS ‘BIGGEST MUSIC FESTIVAL’ (Posted 23rd October 2013) Music, art and culture enthusiasts are well advised to make early arrangements to attend Zanzibar’s Sauti Za Busara Festival between February 13th and 16th next year after the organizers Busara Promotions (www.busaramusic.org) have released their lineup of both […]
New dates for KHTF2014 and HOSEA2014 shift events from July to May
KENYA HOSPITALITY TRADE FAIR AND HOTEL SUMMIT EAST AFRICA NAME 2014 DATES (Posted 23rd October 2013) With less than 7 months to go to the 2014 edition of the Kenya Hospitality Trade Fair and the Hotel Summit East Africa, more than half of the available exhibition space has already been sold and pending enquiries can […]
Bespoke, nothing else could describe SkySafaris by elewana
LUXURY SKY SAFARIS CONFIRM NEW TRENDS (Posted 22nd October 2013) Travel exhibitions often showcase new products and businesses, which, while they have been around for some time, have almost by stealth made their way into the big league of quality operations, and finally decided to tell the world about themselves. So has the Elewana Collection […]
MKTE termed ‘great success for Kenya Tourism’
MAGICAL KENYA SHOW A ‘GREAT SUCCESS’ (Posted 22nd October 2013) The just concluded 3rd edition of the Magical Kenya Travel Expo at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre has dwarfed previous attendance records by a wide margin, For the first time did international exhibitors attend Kenya’s premier tourism show as the tourism boards of the Seychelles, […]
Qatar Airways set to add Miami come June 2014
QATAR AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES MIAMI AS 6TH US DESTINATION (Posted 22nd October 2013) Regular travellers from East Africa using Qatar Airways will be pleased to learn that come June 2014 they will be able to fly with them via Doha to Miami / Florida. This latest addition to the growing list of destinations will be a […]
TAZARA set for major overhaul
TANZANIA WANTS CHINA TO REFURBISH TAZARA RAILWAY (Posted 21st October 2013) The railway link between Dar es Salaam and Lusaka, which was established in the early to mid 1970’s, then financed and built by the Chinese government, has for long been ailing as a result of poor maintenance and management problems. The line which is […]
Kenya got what it takes …
ONLY IN KENYA – DINNER A LA CHEF IN A ROYAL SUITE (Posted 21st October 2013) (The Limuru based Sovereign Suites) There are a few places where, when travelling, I dare to leave the choice of menu to the chef without getting my stomach into a nervous twist. The MAIA in the Seychelles is one, […]
No luck in court for former KQ staff
KENYA AIRWAYS WINS TEMPORARY REPRIEVE IN COURT (Posted 21st October 2013) The Kenya Court of Appeals has on Friday last week sided with Kenya Airways’ argument that they should not have to re-instate the employees made redundant last year. 447 of an overall 578 had taken the matter to court, seeking not only reinstatement but […]
Lady Lori changes hands
LADY LORI HELICOPTERS BUYOUT COMPLETE (Posted 21st October 2013) According to information received while in Kenya have the original owners of Lady Lori sold their stake to key members of their staff, including company CEO Ian Mimamo, maintenance manager Peter Njagi and one Adi Vinner. The company was formed by an American couple, Jim and […]
Rafting companies express concern over Isimba plans
LACK OF CONSULTATIONS OVER ISIMBA THREATENS SURVIVAL OF RAFTING ON THE NILE (Posted 21st October 2013) Key stakeholders in Uganda’s adventure tourism sector have joined hands with local authorities and the Busoga Kingdom in voicing their growing concern over the lack of consultations about the planned Isimba hydro electric power plant and dam. From information […]
Kigali set for dozens of new buses to boost public transport capacity
DEMAND FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN KIGALI TRIGGERS ADDITIONAL BUS ORDERS (Posted 20th October 2013) The recent introduction of a new public transport system in Rwanda’s capital city of Kigali has triggered a rush of demand on the busses put on the road by the three licensed transport companies, leaving many users frustrated over long waits […]
Precision Air bailout back on the table ?
DAR GOVERNMENT CHANGES TUNE AS CHANCES FOR PRECISION BAILOUT RISE AGAIN (Posted 20th October 2013) Information received from a source close to Precision Air has confirmed that a bailout deal by the Tanzanian government is now back on the table following a fresh look at all the negative implications of letting the airline ‘hang’. It […]
Round up of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Third edition October 2013
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 news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome or join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also ‘cross load’. Read […]
FastJet entry on JNB route almost halves average cost of return flights.
FASTJET FINALLY LANDS IN JOHANNESBURG (Posted 19th October 2013) Flight FN0201, the inaugural flight of FastJet’s first international route, arrived yesterday morning at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport from Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport at 11.45 hrs. This flight, delayed for some weeks as a result of competitor pressure brought to bear on […]
Groundbreaking in the offing for rail and airport projects
TWO MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS EYE GROUNDBREAKING TOWARDS END OF YEAR (Posted 19th October 2013) Information received while in Nairobi has suggested that two of Kenya’s future looking infrastructure projects may still break ground before the end of the year. One will be for the work on the extension of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where Project […]
More cases of ‘rotten apples’ emerge
THE ROTTEN APPLES OF KENYA’S IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT (Posted 19th October 2013) No sooner was my own experience with a rotten immigration apple published earlier this week, did a number of my readers send in more material, suggesting that my stark experience at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was far from an isolated case, contrary to what […]
Of MICE and more …
SYMPOSIUM GIVES MKTE PARTICIPANTS A CHANCE TO DISCUSS MICE AND MORE (Posted 19th October 2013) Hot on the heels of the MICE Seminar held at the Sarova Stanley on the day prior of the Magical Kenya Travel Expo opening its doors, did the Kenya Tourism Board on this third edition of the exhibition introduce a […]
It was party time for Magical Kenya Expo participants
MAGICAL KENYA EXPO GUESTS ARE TREATED TO PARTY TIME AT THE WINDSOR (Posted 19th October 2013) The Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club provided the scenic setting for the party the Kenya Tourism Board hosted last night for invited guests, sponsors, the media, exhibitors and of course for the over 150 buyers who had flown […]
Single Visa for Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda ‘almost ready’
TRIPARTITE MEETING ON THE MKTE SIDELINES MAKES SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS (Posted 19th October 2013) The ‘coalition of the willing’ used the occasion of Kenya’s Magical Kenya Travel Expo to have their official delegations meet at Nairobi’s Utalii Hotel to drive the process of a single tourist Visa forward, which according to reliable information will indeed now […]
Entire island nations could be lost like ancient Atlantis
SEYCHELLES HOST CLIMATE CHANGE SYMPOSIUM (Posted 18th October 2013) A symposium on the problems of climate change was held on the Seychelles’ main island of Mahe this week, bringing together participants from several of the Indian Ocean islands and from the African mainland along the Eastern seaboard. The meeting is tasked to develop a common […]
More China bound blood ivory seized
UGANDA SEIZES BLOOD IVORY READY FOR SHIPMENT TO CHINA (Posted 18th October 2013) News received earlier in the week confirmed a major blood ivory seizure by law enforcement officials in Kampala last weekend, when over 800 pieces were found concealed in a container ready for shipment via the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa to China. […]
Serena sweeps the board at WTA with 6 trophies
SERENA HOTELS TAKE 6 WTA AWARDS INCLUDING AFRICA’S BEST HOTEL BRAND (Posted 18th October 2013) (Graham S.E. Cooke handing over yet another WTA Award to Serena’s Director of Operations Mark Gathuri with this correspondent looking on) Nairobi based Serena Hotels, a group presently owning and operating some 24 hotels, resorts, lodges and safari camps in […]
KTB supports Kenya’s first SITE/ICCA/Reed Travel Exhibitions MICE Seminar
REED TRAVEL EXHIBITIONS PARTNER WITH SITE/ICCA AND KTB TO LAUNCH MICE SEMINAR (Posted 17th October 2013) Muriithi Ndegwa, CEO of the Kenya Tourism Board, aka Magical Kenya, this morning officially launched the first ever dedicated MICE Seminar in Nairobi, which aims to equip the over 50 participants from Kenya and the wider region to understand […]
James Rattos bids farewell to the Sheraton Kampala after 12 years
JAMES RATTOS LEAVES THE KAMPALA SHERATON AFTER 12 YEARS (Posted 17th October 2013) After serving in various capacities at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel over the past 12 years, his last position being Director of Sales and Marketing, is James Rattos calling it a day to move back to his native Kenya, where he will on […]
Kenya proves dominant in claiming most African honours at WTA Awards
IT WAS KENYA’S NIGHT AT THE WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS (Posted 17th October 2013) (It is all smiles as the Kenya Tourism Board celebrates their win as Africa’s BEST) The World Travel Awards for Africa 2013, held last evening at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, proved to be a night to remember for the assembled […]
Serena signs long term lease after major new investments in Sweetwaters
SERENA ACQUIRES LONG TERM LEASE FOR SWEETWATERS SAFARI CAMP (Posted 16th October 2013) A pending visit to what can only be described as Kenya’s most complete wildlife and adventure experience, this being the Ol Pejeta Conservancy near Nanyuki in central Kenya, will give me the opportunity to not just see the impressive work carried out […]
Over 150 global ‘buyers’ arrive in Kenya for Magical Kenya Travel Expo
KTB HOSTS ‘BUYERS’ FROM AROUND THE GLOBE TO SHOWCASE DESTINATION (Posted 16th October 2013) The Kenya Tourism Board, ahead of the much anticipated Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2013 has decided to tackle global perception about the destination head on by sending ‘Hosted Buyers’ across the country to experience Kenya’s star attractions and see for themselves […]
Celebrating ‘Channi’ Vohra’s life while mourning his passing …
FARE THEE WELL MY FRIEND – THOUGHTS ON THE PASSING OF A ICON OF KENYA TOURISM (Posted 15th October 2013) As much as Kenya’ tourism fraternity is looking forward to the events unfolding this week, the World Travel Awards and the Magical Kenya Travel Expo, there will also be a deep sense of loss among […]
Trials and tribulations of a frequent traveller
IT ONLY TAKES ONE SPOILER TO MESS UP THE HARD WORK OF SO MANY OTHERS (Posted 15th October 2013) Kenyan immigration officials had to be the odd man, or in this case woman out, when on the trot introducing new rules regarding a multiple re-entry on a visa, as practiced in the past dozens of […]
Eldoret gets first of several planned Boma Inn’s
KENYA RED CROSS’ THE BOMA INN ELDORET NOW FULLY OPERATIONAL (Posted 15th October 2013) The Kenya Red Cross owned The Boma Inn, Eldoret is now fully operational, it was learned on day one of an extended visit to Kenya. The new hotel, part of a planned number of three star hotels across the country, alongside […]
