No 333 Wildlife Trade News 13th February 2015

Your daily dose of bad news … poaching, wildlife crimes and environmental challenges galore … read all about it here In the spotlight today …………………… China tiger farms put big cats in the jaws of extinction (NA comment: A news story you are most unlikely to see on the CITES web site http://www.cites.org/ because it […]

Safari Trails Newsletter – February 2015

Here is an insight into some of the offerings from Tanzania and Kenya, courtesy of Safari Trails, and, for those with good memories, also containing some of my own material they use, with my permission, to reproduce for their readers in their newsletter … Enjoy February is here and love is already in the air! […]

Africa cooperates to increase tourism on the continent

KENYA AND NIGERIA’ CROSS RIVER STATE SEEK TOURISM COOPERATION (Posted 13th February 2015) Kenya’s marketing drive across the African continent has paid off with some 23.000 Nigerians last year visiting the country, which is linked by daily flights. Kenya Airways connects daily to Lagos and the upcoming service to Abuja will no doubt further strengthen […]

Let the show begin – Sauti Za Busara kicks off in Zanzibar

SAUTI ZA BUSARA KICKS OFF WITH A BLAZE OF AFRICAN MUSIC (Posted 13th February 2015) The 12th edition of what has become Africa’s foremost festival of performing arts, Sauti Za Busara, kicked off yesterday evening with the venue, the Old Fort in the Stone Town filled to capacity. Artists from across Africa are once again […]

No 332 Wildlife Trade News 12th February 2015

Your daily dose of bad news, about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes from around the world In the spotlight today …………………… ZIMBABWE Govt accused of inflating jumbo population. EXTRACTS. “A transparent audit hasn’t been done since 1997.’ ( Therefore, a breach of the CITES Convention?) “We know from past experience that baby elephants seldom survive […]

Incoming & Outgoing global Niche Travel & Tourism Opportunities

eTurboNews invites you to an Incoming & Outgoing Gobal Niche Travel & Tourism Opportunities Workshop Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. You are invited to attend: Incoming & Outgoing global Niche Travel & Tourism Opportunities Tuesday, March 3, 2015 from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM This workshop is jointly organized […]

Tanzania seeks moral high ground over tourism spat with Kenya

TANZANIA PONDERS NEXT STEPS AFTER TOURISM SPAT WITH KENYA (Posted 12th February 2015) News coming from Dar es Salaam over the recent tourism spat with neighbours Kenya and the subsequent row on Twitter between the two ministers overseeing tourism indicates that the Tanzanian government has elevated the matter to higher levels, seeking a broader solution […]

Air Seychelles on the roll as Casablanca is added with code share flights

NEW CODE SHARE DEAL WITH ETIHAD CONNECTS AIR SEYCHELLES TO CASABLANCA (Posted 12th February 2015) Air Seychelles has in recent weeks announced more code share arrangements with partner airline Etihad than in the entire year before, expanding their reach into the Arabian peninsula and now to North Africa. Casablanca, still carrying the magic ring of […]

Kenya’s cross country cyclists pitch camp at Mt. Kenya

THE MOUNT KENYA SAX10TO4 CHALLENGE EXPECTS RECORD CROWDS THIS WEEKEND (Posted 12th February 2015) One of Kenya’s great outdoor sporting and adventure events, the ‘SAX10to4’ mountain bike race, is taking place on Friday and Saturday this week. Held annually since 2002, when a small group of enthusiastic mountain bikers cycled from 10,000ft above sea level […]

Lamu – Festivals and so much more

3RD LAMU PAINTER’S FESTIVAL NEARS FINISHING LINE (Posted 12th February 2015) This year’s edition of the Lamu Painters Festival, which ends on Sunday 15th of February, has once again generated local and international attention for Kenya’s most ancient town. Thanks to many individuals, the Shella Welfare Group and notably Herbert Mentzer, the founder of the […]

No 331 Wildlife Trade News 11th February 2015

Your daily dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes from around the world in the spotlight today …………………… Zimbabwe forges ahead with plans to export elephants http://mg.co.za/article/2015-02-10-zimbabwe-forges-ahead-with-plans-to-export-elephants The CITES Secretariat have claimed this is not an issue they can or should become involved in. Is this correct? Important questions are raised at […]

Fast tracking regional integration properly requires private sector involvement

PRIVATE SECTOR TO BECOME AN OFFICIAL PARTICIPANT IN NEXT ‘COW’ SUMMIT (Posted 11th February 2015) Key private sector platforms, thought to include the East African Business Council, the East African Tourism Platform and national manufacturers’ associations are thought to be the target for an official invitation to become part of the Northern Corridor Integration Summits, […]

Kenya Airways completes move to Terminal 1A at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

KENYA AIRWAYS MOVES REMAINING WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICAN FLIGHTS TO TERMINAL 1A (Posted 11th February 2015) Kenya Airways will tonight complete the move for all remaining flight departures from Terminal 1C, formerly known as Unit 2, to their new home in Terminal 1A. While most flights had been progressively shifted to the new home of […]

Lusaka control – this is RwandAir calling

6 WEEKS AND COUNTING FOR LUSAKA FLIGHTS (Posted 11th February 2015) RwandAir yesterday afternoon reconfirmed their launch date for flights from Kigali to Lusaka, the Zambian capital, to take off on the 27th of March. Lusaka will be served initially three times a week, using a B737-800NG aircraft which will then continue to Johannesburg before […]

Embrace new technologies says HLS – and offers training how to do it

HLS SET TO LAUNCH 2015 TRAINING SERIES WITH WORKSHOP IN KAMPALA (Posted 11th February 2015) Training in e-solutions has gathered momentum across the Eastern African region last year and the trend continues in 2015, now that HLS, Hotel Link Solutions, has yesterday announced the date for their first Kampala workshop. The half day seminar will […]

No 330 Wildlife Trade News 10th February 2015

Your daily dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes in the spotlight today …………………… China’s appetite for ivory fuels slaughter of thousands of African elephants http://www.itv.com/news/2015-02-09/chinas-appetite-for-ivory-fuels-slaughter-of-thousands-of-african-elephants/ CITES RESPONSE TO CHINA’S RAMPANT ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADING? CITES ISN’T WORKING – IS IT? WHAT DO YOU REALLY THINK OF CITES AND ITS SECRETARIAT? No 330 […]

UNWTO World Tourism Barometer – Volume 13, January 2015

UNWTO publishes the 2015 World Tourism Barometer Click on the links below to access the information. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Tourism Market Trends Programme The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is pleased to inform that the January 2015 issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer has recently been released in English (the statistical annex in Spanish, […]

Tourism ministers take to Twitter instead of talking in a conference room

NOW NYALANDU HITS BACK AT KENYA WITH A BLISTERING TWITTER VOLLEY (Posted 10th February 2015) A war of words is now underway between Tanzania and Kenya over the ban for Tanzanian registered tour vehicles to access Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. One of the battlefields is the social media scene where Tanzania’s Minister for Natural Resources […]

Fastjet carries 55.695 passengers in January on domestic and African routes

FASTJET OUTPERFORMS JANUARY 2014 FIGURES BY A WIDE MARGIN (Posted 10th February 2015) With traffic, year on year, up by 78 percent in January 2015 and the loadfactor for January 2015 also up by 9 percent, can Fastjet be pleased, considering that January is normally a month of lower activity for many of the airlines […]

Reunion uses the right language in the right markets

REUNION TOURISM LAUNCHES FIRST NEWSLETTER OF 2015 FOR GERMAN MARKET (Posted 10th February 2015) From IRT’s first German language e-newsletter of 2015 were the recipients able to discover the wide range of tourism attractions from scuba diving to hiking across the island to exploring the underwater wonders of the Indian Ocean and on to a […]

No 329 Wildlife Trade News 9th February 2015

Your daily dose of bad news from around the world about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes in the spotlight today …………………… Time for Asian Nations to End Tiger Poaching . http://www.newindianexpress.com/editorials/Time-for-Asian-Nations-to-End-Tiger-Poaching/2015/02/09/article2658957.ece No 329 Wildlife Trade News 9th February 2015 Zimbabwe Planning to Increase Its Sales of Baby Elephants, Sources Say Forcibly separating baby elephants from […]

When technology becomes a fashion item …

Lillian Gaitho’s latest contribution focuses on what she calls ‘wearable technology’ … enjoy her insights … Five Wearable Gadgets Revolutionizing Travel The gear that’s making travel for techies easier than ever Juniper Research-a mobile research specialist-forecasts that global spending on wearable technology will hit $1.4 billion and will skyrocket to a staggering $19 billion in […]

Seychelles – Another World

SEYCHELLES’ HIDDEN GEMS (Posted 09th February 2015) Seychelles’ is known around the world as a destination for the who is who, captains of industry, the rich and famous, for filmstars, sporting legends and of course royalty. While the destination can be affordable for a wider audience, emphasis on affordable but never cheap, does the top […]

Mombasa’s second bridge – not if but where is now the question

SECOND MOMBASA BRIDGE SHOULD BYPASS CITY SAY TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS (Posted 09th February 2015) Visits to the beaches along the Kenya coast often begin with traffic jams trying to cross to the Northern mainland via the single bridge out of the city of Mombasa or else long waits for the ferries to cross the Likoni channel. […]

Paramotoring Uganda – Reloaded

UGANDA PARAMOTOR TOUR PART TWO (Posted 09th February 2015) Uganda’s first ever paramotor tour in November last year proved to be a major success and the first edited ‘teaser’ 5 minute clip was recently uploaded on YouTube. This will allow potential visitors to Uganda to see some of the country’s wide range of attractions from […]

No 327 Wildlife Trade News 8th February 2015

Your daily dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes in the spotlight today …………………… Myanmar has only 150 tigers left (NA COMMENT: Because China has eaten the rest?) http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8947:myanmar-has-only-150-tigers-left&catid=44:national&Itemid=384 Chinese ordered to put a stop to cruel trade in ivory by wildlife campaigners. (NA comment: NGO’s not afraid to say or do […]

75 days and counting to the 5th edition of the Seychelles’ Carnaval de Carnivals

SELECTION OF CARNIVAL SONG KICKS OFF SEYCHELLES’ FIFTH CARNIVAL SEASON (Posted 08th February 2015) In the short space of just five years has the ‘Carnaval de Carnivals’, the Seychelles’ version which brings together performing troupes from across the world of carnivals, become one of the global top five. Huge media attention is given to the […]

There is no time like the present to visit Kenya

ATTRACTIVE PRICING AND BETTER EXCHANGE RATES A BONUS FOR VISITORS TO KENYA (Posted 08th February 2015) ‘Visiting Kenya has not been so financially attractive in ages’ said a regular commentator to articles published here, before adding ‘Beach resorts are literally using low season rates now for visitors from the region but also from further away. […]

Tigo Pesa / Jovago.com deal opens e-payment options for Tanzanians

TIGO-PESA DEAL WITH JOVAGO GIVES TANZANIAN TRAVELLERS AN ADDED E-PAYMENT OPTION (Posted 08th February 2015) Jovago.com, Africa’s leading booking portal, has joined hands with Tigo Pesa of Tanzania to widen the net for making bookings on the net and pay for travel and hospitality services through secure means. The company announced the deal two days […]