There comes a point when even good news are taken with a grain of salt …
BRITAIN WAVES AIRSIDE TRANSIT VISA FOR UGANDANS AFTER EXODUS BY TRAVELERS (Posted 19th January 2015) Britain appears to have finally responded to counter the trend by Ugandan travelers destined for Canada, the United States and other third countries, to avoid flying via Heathrow and evade the need to pay for a transit Visa. Many travel […]
50 professional years and counting as Derek Houston goes from strength to strength
A GOLDEN JUBILEE OF DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO AFRICA’S TOURISM INDUSTRY (Posted 19th January 2015) Reaching the half century milestone in any career in this day and age is no mean achievement and staying in the same industry for a full 50 years is almost unheard of. Yet, Derek Houston of Houston Marketing accomplished this almost […]
Another guest post from Lillian Gaitho
Lillian has started the new week hitting the ground running with her latest travel feature: The Five Under-Explored Must Visit African Destinations This Year. Enjoy reading but better, enjoy travelling there .. . Whether for a luxurious dip in Africa’s pristine beaches, an “only-in-Africa” Game Safari or an out-of-the-world star-gazing night in the darkness of […]
It is Hakuna Matata as Maulid festival ends in Lamu
LAMU TOURISM BENEFITS FROM MAULID FESTIVAL (Posted 19th January 2015) This year’s Maulid Festival, which celebrates the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed, brought a significant rise in visitor arrivals to Lamu. Following the lifting of the curfew for Lamu town and Shela Beach by the recently appointed new Inspector General of Police in Kenya – […]
Kempinski, the first of the big league hospitality names, comes to Kigali
DES MILLE COLLINES – A JOURNEY UP AND DOWN HISTORY LANE (Posted 19th January 2015) ‘And no matter where you stay in Kigali, there simply is no better place to see the city and the surrounding hills than from the Panorama Restaurant of the Des Mille Collines. You get a great view during the day […]
Does Desvaux’s return to MTPA signal the end of Mootoosamy’s reign?
DESVAUX’S RETURN TO MTPA PUSHES MOOTOOSAMY TO THE ROPES (Posted 19th January 2015) Robert Desvaux has triumphantly returned to the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority as the organization’s chairman, following his appointment by the Mauritius’ government’s Council of Ministers, aka cabinet. On January 07th, when the rumours began to emerge about his possible return to MTPA, […]
Tanga blast NOT thought to be terror related
TANGA BLAST SHOWS THAT TANZANIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE IGNORED THREATS (Posted 19th January 2015) ‘The problem with explosives used for dynamite fishing has been growing and growing. It is not new but authorities have turned a blind eye on the problem. Those syndicates are well connected and must have pulled strings behind the scenes to be […]
It is all about doing things ‘online’ when 3G Directpay comes to Zanzibar next week
3G DIRECT PAY SET FOR ZANZIBAR WORKSHOP (Posted 19th January 2015) Online Payments? Online Marketing? Booking engines? Fraud prevention? 3G Direct Pay will cover it all in a half day workshop for the Zanzibar tourism industry when next Tuesday, January 20th they come to the Spice Island. The Zanzibar Grand Palace Hotel is the venue […]
Kenya – Tanzania dispute on cross border transfers ‘not helpful’
NO INSTANT RESOLUTION TO ONGOING TIT FOR TAT SPAT BETWEEN NEIGHBOURS (Posted 17th January 2015) The hastily arranged meeting of the two ministers responsible for tourism of Kenya and Tanzania, aimed to discuss and resolve the denial of access of Tanzanian registered commercial vehicles, such as safari 4×4’s and transfer busses to Jomo Kenyatta International […]
RwandAir finally gets approval from Kenya to launch Entebbe – Nairobi flights
RWANDAIR SETS NEW DATE FOR NAIROBI FLIGHTS (Posted 17th January 2015) RwandAir’s General Manager Commercial, Mr. Mikael Gobena, yesterday afternoon confirmed that the long awaited flights between Entebbe and Nairobi, under fifth freedom licence from the Ugandan CAA, will now finally commence on the 29th of January. The airline had wanted to operate on the […]
Bring and use your drone at your own risk in Kenya
VISITORS ARE WARNED NOT TO BRING OR FLY THEIR DRONES IN KENYA (Posted 17th January 2015) An Austrian tourist got nabbed recently at the Amboseli National Park, when he was flying a drone, aka UAV, ostensibly to take pictures from an elevated location to include in his holiday picture and video album. Little did he […]
New travel show aims to open new horizons
THE ‘AFRICA TRAVEL SHOW 2015’ SET FOR EARLY MARCH IN NAIROBI (Posted 17th January 2015) The Oshwal Centre in Nairobi’s second business hub of Westlands will provide the setting for the inaugural ‘Africa Travel Show’ which is due to take place between the 04th and 08th of March this year. The exhibition is timed perfectly […]
Making travel easier and less stressful – check what Amadeus has to say!
Here comes one of the periodic guest posts I show on my blog, and, as travel begins in earnest again the advice and insights by Amadeus will hopefully help here and there to be better prepared when travelling on business, or leisure. 1. What devices does today’s traveler carry? We can break this down by […]
Come April Come Tokyo as Ethiopian ready to commence flights to Narita
ETHIOPIAN CONFIRMS TOKYO FLIGHTS (Posted 16th January 2015) Ethiopian Airlines is stretching their wings, to be precise the wings of one of their new B787 Dreamliners, to Japan come April this year. A statement seen from the airline confirms that preparations for the launch of flights between Addis Ababa and Tokyo Narita, via Hong Kong, […]
Corporate Communications by Facebook? Beware of the consequences!
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS – MORE THAN DIDDLING AROUND ON SOCIAL MEDIA (Posted 16th January 2015) Recent major corporate events in the aviation industry got me thinking and comparing, how some airlines pull out all the stops and all the right stops too while others, almost in a take it or leave it attitude – one no […]
Aldabra – open for visits again but only for the chosen few
ALDABRA – THE REMAINING GARDEN OF EDEN ONCE AGAIN OPEN FOR VISITS (Posted 16th January 2015) Aldabra! The name alone inspires those who ever heard the name to dream and scheme about a visit there. Often described as the remnant of the Garden of Eden, and in many ways outranking the Galapagos Islands, except, and […]
New flights from Addis Ababa to Goma widen Ethiopian’s Africa network
ETHIOPIAN SET FOR GOMA FLIGHTS BUT WITHOUT TRAFFIC RIGHTS OUT OF ENTEBBE (Posted 16th January 2015) Ethiopian Airlines plans to launch a new service to Goma, Eastern Congo from the 10th of February, initially offering three times a week. The airline plans to fly from Addis Ababa via Entebbe to Goma, using a B737-800, but […]
Don’t dump failures on our sector say tourism stakeholders
LATEST ARRIVAL DATA STIR CONTROVERSY (Posted 16th January 2015) When the latest arrival data were finally published two days ago were reactions swift asking for more timely publication of statistics. ‘Why should in this day and age of computers data come 3 ½ months late. Our borders are connected, every person entering is now processed […]
It is all about good food next week in Nairobi as #NRW2015 goes underway
NAIROBI RESTAURANT WEEK SET TO SHOWCASE CULINARY DELIGHTS (Posted 16th January 2015) The Kenyan capital Nairobi is gearing up to the annual Nairobi Restaurant Week which this year will kick off on the 22nd of January. Nairobi is the acknowledged leader in the region as far as ethnic food variety is concerned. The city offers […]
Qatar Airways’ A7-ALA, the world’s first A350XWB, is enroute to Frankfurt
QATAR AIRWAYS’ LATEST BIRD TAKES FLIGHT TO FRANKFURT (Posted 15th January 2015) (Qatar Airways’ and the world’s first Airbus A350XWB registered as A7-ALA) News in from Doha confirmed that Qatar Airways’ flight QR 67 to Frankfurt has taken off with a full load of passengers on board at 08.07 hrs local time and was given […]
Ol Pejeta We Stil Need Your Support
The festive season is over and often does the spirit of giving then take a break. That said, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy continues to need your support … view Online | send to a friend | visit Ol Pejeta Dear Friend of Ol Pejeta: We still need your support Did you have a chance to […]
SAX 10to4 – Entries closing soon!
An update from the Mount Kenya 10to4 Mountain Bike Challenge Watch this space for further updates on the event in due course. SAX 10to4 2015 – Enter now! Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Entries for the SAX 10to4 Mountain Bike Challenge close on January 31st so register online now […]
The plight of Zim’s 36 baby elephants
News from the Conservation Action Trust The plight of Zim’s 36 baby elephants. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. The plight of Zim’s 36 baby elephants Daily Maverick | 13 January, 2015 | Andrea Teagle | Please Republish Late last year, dozens of baby elephants in the Hwange Elephant Park […]
Guest post by Dr. Eran Ketter
India’s image crisis: managing a tourism brand under assault By: Dr. Eran Ketter The recent incident in which a Japanese female tourist was gang-raped by Indian men next to the Buddhist pilgrimage center of Gaya is another tragic case in a list that is getting longer and longer. In recent years, many cases of sexual […]
Rwanda kicks off their 2015 marketing trail with presence at Vakantiebeurs
RWANDA SHINES AT VAKANTIEBEURS IN HOLLAND (Posted 15th January 2015) Rwanda is this year participating in the most important Dutch international travel fair ‘Vakantiebeurs’ under the theme ‘Remarkable Rwanda’, showcasing the country’s numerous attractions. Best known of course for gorilla tracking has the country’s tourism industry diversified in recent years with added emphasis on visits […]
East Africa’s aviation scene set to change should Ethiopian / RwandAir talks succeed
ETHIOPIAN EYES RWANDAIR STAKE AHEAD OF FORMAL PRIVATISATION PROCESS (Posted 15th January 2015) There is growing indication that Ethiopian Airlines has engaged in direct talks with the Rwandan government, seeking a stake in national carrier RwandAir, even though no formal privatization process is in place at this moment in time. It is thought that RwandAir’s […]
CNN puts Nyungwe in their top ten for 2015
NYUNGWE FOREST LODGE RATED RWANDA’S BEST IN NEW CNN SURVEY (Posted 15th February 2015) CNN’s Safari Awards for 2015 have included the Nyungwe Forest Lodge / Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda among the top ten places to visit. Set in the midst of a working tea estate is the lodge but a short stone […]
Kenya Airport Authority gets new chairman: Kimaiyo – part two of a failed career?
KIMAIYO APPOINTED CHAIR OF KENYA AIRPORT AUTHORITY PROMPTING INSTANT CONTROVERSY (Posted 14th January 2015) While in transit via Nairobi did news reach, that the Kenya Airport Authority’s CEO Ms. Lucy Mbugua, has introduced the newly appointed Chairman of KAA, one David Kimaiyo. The news spread like wildfire among the aviation fraternity with phones running hot, […]
Strike grounds passenger trains from Dar es Salaam to Zambia
TAZARA STAFF ON STRIKE AGAIN (Posted 14th January 2015) Only weeks after announcing that cross border trains between Tanzania and Zambia would be re-launched, cutting out the cumbersome change of trains at the border by passengers using the railway for their journeys, have the headlines again turned sour when it was reported that the Tanzania […]
The Airbus A380 – will a Neo version spur additional sales? Qatar Airways CEO thinks so!
RE-ENGINE THE A380 AND THE AIRCRAFT WILL BECOME A SUCCESS (Posted 14th January 2015) (The new Rolls Royce Trent XWB Engine under the wing of the Airbus A350XWB) When Emirates’ a few weeks ago raised the stakes, telling Airbus to either develop an A380Neo or forget about future orders, tongues went wagging instantly about the […]
