Unexpected elevation to ‘monument’ status saves African Heritage House from demolition

AFRICAN HERITAGE HOUSE WINS BATTLE WITH THE RAILWAY (Posted 31st January 2015) Alan Donovan and his supporters will no doubt be sleeping better after the latest Kenya Gazette of 23rd of January – the gazette is the government’s official notification organ which makes laws and public service announcements ‘legal’ – published a notice declaring the […]

Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority set to upgrade and expand domestic terminal on Mahe

NEW DOMESTIC TERMINAL RE-DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCED FOR THE AIRPORT ON MAHE (Posted 31st January 2015) Details are beginning to emerge from the Seychelles that the domestic terminal at the international airport is due for some major upgrading and expansion. Work is reportedly going to commence in February when all operations, i.e. arrivals and departures, will for […]

Tanzanian safari camp the only winner from Africa of the UNWTO Ulysses Awards 2015

‘ISOITOK CAMP MANYARA’ DOES AFRICA PROUD BY CAPTURING THE UNWTO AWARD (Posted 31st January 2015) Isoitok Camp Manyara As one of only two African finalists in the 2015 edition of the UNWTO’s Ulysses Innovation Awards, which were announced at FITUR in Madrid earlier in the week, did Tanzania’s Isoitok Camp take the trophy of ‘Innovation […]

No 320 Wildlife Trade News 30th January 2015

Another dose of bad news about poaching and related wildlife and environmental crimes in the spotlight today …………………… Endangered Bonobo Chimp Imported to Armenia Goes Missing: Preliminary Investigation Drags On. (Another matter CITES will no doubt turn a blind eye to.) extract: ArturAfrikyan, first deputy to the president of the State Revenue Committee, provided us […]

Uganda Community Tourism Association E-Newsletter ~ January 2015

Enjoy the latest news from Uganda’s grass roots with the Uganda Community Tourism Association E-Newsletter ~ January 2015 Uganda Community Tourism Association E-newsletter ~January 2015 Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Like us on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend The Uganda Community Tourism Association’s mission is to […]

No 319 Wildlife Trade News 29th January 2015

Nature alert continues to provide updates on poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes and with their permission I share this daily dose of bad news with my readers … in the spotlight today …………………… Kasukuwere petitioned over sale of baby elephants. The Zimbabwe Conservation Taskforce (ZCTF) today submitted a petition against the sale of baby elephants […]

Gulf Air cuts last administrative ties with East Africa

GULF AIR CUTS FINAL TIES WITH KENYA MARKET AS IT EXITS BSP (Posted 30th January 2015) Following the departure just over a year ago from the Bahrain – Nairobi route has Gulf Air now put in motion their final exit from Kenya, as they will be leaving the IATA BSP scheme, the clearest indication yet […]

The bad boys among the East African aviation authorities …

KENYA’S AVIATION REGULATORS BECOME EAST AFRICA’S BOGEY MAN (Posted 30th January 2015) Ugandan journalists invited for the inaugural flight by RwandAir from Entebbe to Nairobi, alerted by comments made at the speeches prior to the flight about various challenges and obstacles encountered, were all geared up to ask the representative/s of Kenya’s aviation regulator some […]

The proverbial ‘Phoenix’ bears the RwandAir logo on its tail

RWANDAIR SHOWS INTEREST IN HARARE AND CONFIRMS ABIDJAN AND COTONOU AS NEW WEST AFRICA DESTINATIONS (Posted 30th January 2015) RwandAir’s CEO Mr. John Mirenge yesterday, on the occasion of launching the airline’s fifth freedom right flight from Entebbe to Nairobi, confirmed that there is keen interest to seek similar arrangements with Zimbabwe, in line with […]

Reunion targets Swiss honeymoon market

REUNION CHARMS HONEYMOONERS AT LAUSANNE WEDDING FAIR (Posted 29th January 2015) IRT, also known as Ile de la Reunion Tourisme, joined hands this week with Swiss specialized tour operator ‘Depart Voyages’ to offer honeymoon packages from Switzerland to Reunion, a French Indian Ocean region located between Madagascar and Mauritius. They participated with a stand at […]

Emirates’ names Duesseldorf and Madrid as new Airbus A380 destinations

EMIRATES ANNOUNCES MORE A380 DESTINATIONS FOR EAST AFRICAN TRAVELLERS (Posted 29th February 2015) Passengers from Emirates’ three East African destinations Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania will from mid 2015 have yet more Airbus A380 destinations lined up, when the German city of Duesseldorf and the Spanish capital Madrid will see the presently used aircraft upgraded. The […]

Ugandan travellers welcome RwandAir’s new flights from Entebbe to Nairobi

RWANDAIR LAUNCHES ENTEBBE – NAIROBI ROUTE (Posted 29th January 2015) ‘Now passengers have a real choice again’ quipped a Kampala based travel agent before adding ‘RwandAir is a respected airline. They have new aircraft and a big network, they are punctual and offer good service on board. We already have clients flying with them to […]

Hello Hanoi – this is Kenya Airways calling

KENYA AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES NEW FLIGHTS TO HANOI (Posted 29th January 2015) In a first for Africa will Kenya Airways add direct flights from Nairobi to Hanoi / Vietnam, starting on the 30th of March. The new service will be operated in conjunction with SkyTeam partner Vietnam Airlines. Passengers from across Africa will be able to […]

Kunene Rhino Deaths: Symptomatic of Namibia’s bigger problem

More news from the Conservation Action Trust The fight to save SA’s Rhino’s :what the minister didn’t say Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. The fight to save SA’s rhinos: What the Minister didn’t say The Daily Maverick | 28 Jan, 2015 | Andrea Teagle | Please Republish When listening […]

38 years and counting as Kenya Airways keeps growing

HAPPY 38TH BIRTHDAY TO THE PRIDE OF AFRICA (Posted 28th January 2015) As Kenya Airways’ turns 38, many of the older generation will remember how it all started. First there was East African Airways, the combined national airline of the then East African Community comprising Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. A birthday celebration is not the […]

No 318 Wildlife Trade News 28th January 2015

Nature Alert has resumed your daily dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes … Please note: For newsletter subscription and circulation details see message at the end of this newsletter. in the spotlight today …………………… Ivory mafia: how criminal gangs are killing Africa’s elephants. extract: "There hasn’t been a single kingpin prosecuted,” […]

Lilian Gaitho’s take on the latest UNWTO global travel figures

Another guest post from Lilian Gaitho, who in her own words ‘is on the roll’ … The Role of E-Commerce in the Kenyan Hotel Industry A report by World Travel Market predicts mobile channels are expected to account for 30% of online travel value sales by 2017. At the same time, United Nations World Tourism […]

Promoting travel to Reunion by showcasing the island’s Creole food creations

IT IS ALL ABOUT FOOD AS REUNION HEADS TO PARIS FOR ‘GASTRONOMY OVERSEAS SHOW’ (Posted 28th January 2015) Reunion is heading to Paris for the inaugural food show which will allow the island, a French region in the deep of the Indian Ocean, to present mainland France with the unique Creole cuisine, colourful, tasty and […]

Dubai DXB becomes the world’s busiest international airport

DUBAI’S SUCCESS A LESSON FOR AFRICA AND BRITAIN (Posted 28th January 2015) Dubai International Airport, home hub to both Emirates and flydubai, has according to data seen overtaken London’s Heathrow Airport as the world’s largest international airport. Total passenger numbers came close to 70.5 million passengers, up by over 6 percent from 2013. Notably, and […]

Lillian Gaitho takes a look at city tourism in East Africa

This is part one of Lillian’s feature series on short trips visiting the capitals and big cities across East Africa. Demystifying Kenya’s Capital: Top 3 Things to do in Nairobi Once fondly referred to as the Green City in the Sun, Nairobi is the cosmopolitan capital of Kenya-a key player in East Africa’s economy. The […]

News from Gamewatchers Safaris

The first news update in 2015 from Gamewatchers Safaris makes interesting reading again … Gamewatchers Safaris January 2015 Greetings Porini Enthusiast! 2014 is gone and 2015 is here We hope your festive season was all in gear With the falling snow, and continuous carols Home-cooked meals with cinnamon rolls And for those who instead had […]

Reunion Tourism bound for SATTE 2015 in New Dehli

REUNION TOURISM COUNT ON MORE VISITORS FROM INDIA (Posted 27th January 2015) The Indian market has become increasingly important for Reunion’s hospitality and tourism businesses and the lifting last year of a number of Visa rules, amounting to a Visa waiver for bone fide tourists, has immediately boosted visitor numbers. While still a small segment […]

Gulf Airlines – growing fleets, more destinations, more career opportunities

GULF AIRLINES BEGIN NEW RECRUITMENT DRIVES (Posted 27th January 2015) All three leading Gulf carriers, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad, will begin fresh recruitment drives over the next couple of weeks, focusing on India, Sri Lanka, Australia, South America, parts of Europe and of course Africa. Announcements on the respective company websites – found by […]

President Michel announces changes to his cabinet but leaves the tourism portfolio untouched

SEYCHELLES GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE SEES CLIMATE CHANGE COME TO CABINET (Posted 26th January 2015) ‘Seychelles – Another World’ earlier today gained an added meaning when President James Alix Michel, as he announced a reshuffle of his government, added Climate Change to the portfolio of Environment and Energy, with the Ministerial post held by Didier Dogley. The […]

Air Seychelles now reaches a dozen European destinations through code share arrangements

AIR SEYCHELLES WIDENS EUROPEAN REACH WITH ADDED CODE SHARE AGREEMENTS (Posted 26th January 2015) Air Seychelles, the Skytrax’ four star national airline of the archipelago, earlier today announced the signing of additional code share arrangements to expand their reach into Europe. New destinations covered are Athens and Belgrade, both destinations served by Etihad which is […]

Elephant News

This is a reproduction of an article just received from Melissa Groo of Elephant News (www.savetheelephants.org) which highlights the economic losses for Tanzania in the medium and long terms as a result of the industrial scale poaching over the past few years in the Selous Game Reserve. The article is reproduced here unedited, i.e. spelling […]