Another global hotel brand comes to Rwanda

GOLDEN TULIP HOTELS SIGNS MANAGEMENT DEAL IN KIGALI (Posted 31st March 2015) The Rwanda Development Board was reportedly putting the deal together for the owners of the La Palisse Hotel, a new four star project with over 230 rooms and suites to use Golden Tulip Hotels & Resorts to oversee the preopening stage and the […]

New tourism clips from Reunion now available on YouTube

IRT LAUNCHES 24 SHORT VIDEOS TO PROMOTE REUNION’S ATTRACTIONS AND SERVICES (Posted 31st March 2015) Ile de la Reunion Tourisme has now launched 24 individual short videos to highlight the services and attractions of the island, each covering a specific aspect with a duration of just one minute. The tourism industry is an important sector […]

South Sudan”s currency reserves exhausted as war cost takes its toll

GOING – GOING – GONE … SOUTH SUDAN’S COFFERS LEFT EMPTY AS FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES DISAPPEAR (Posted 31st March 2015) There seems to be outright confusion in South Sudan’s capital Juba over an announcement by the country’s Central Bank that their foreign exchange reserves have run out, in other words that no foreign currency is […]

Obama visit should give Kenya tourism a boost

OBAMA FINALLY ANNOUNCES VISIT TO KENYA IN JULY (Posted 31st March 2015) Airforce One will be making a return to East Africa for a second time in two years when President Obama will finally make good of his promise to visit the land of his father. In 2013 did Obama skip a visit to Kenya […]

When an airline needs armed cops to keep order you know things have gone bad

DID INEPT AIRLINE STAFF CALL COPS ON FRUSTRATED PASSENGERS? (Posted 31st March 2015) Comments came in thick and fast all day about yesterday’s article which explained how Jambojet stranded passengers from Ukunda who were destined for their international flight connections in Nairobi. A clearer picture began to emerge today as passenger feedback also started to […]

Air Seychelles / Etihad set for double daily flights to Abu Dhabi

AIR SEYCHELLES / ETIHAD TO GO DOUBLE DAILY ON ABU DHABI – MAHE ROUTE (Posted 30th March 2015) Information was received that, without yet confirming a date, Air Seychelles and partner airline Etihad will move from the present 13 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Mahe to a full double daily service. According to the […]

No 370 Wildlife Trade News 30th March 2015

The good news from Malawi, where the ivory stock will be burned this week, are overshadowed by another daily dose of bad news about ongoing poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes Under the spotlight today …………………… Malawi to burn its £5m ivory stockpile this week – and demonstrate its commitment to wildlife conservation http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/malawi-to-burn-its-5m-ivory-stockpile-this-week–and-demonstrate-its-commitment-to-wildlife-conservation-10141379.html ….. while […]

Cost of museum visits in Rwanda set to rise

INSTITUTE OF NATIONAL MUSEUMS RAISING ENTRANCE FEES TO RAISE MORE FUNDS (Posted 30th March 2015) A regular source in Kigali has confirmed that entrance fees and charges for other services at the various museums across Rwanda, the Royal sites included, will be raised from 01st of April. East African residents will from that date onwards […]

Kenya Airways adjusts schedule ahead of night closure of JKIA runway

KENYA AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE CHANGES EFFECTIVE 01ST OF APRIL (Posted 30th March 2015) Kenya Airways has announced changes to their current schedule, effective from the 01st of April, sharply increasing connectivity on domestic and African routes. Malindi will be served twice a day, up from the present 6 flights a week, clearly an effort by […]

Kenya’s season opening triathlon will be held in Watamu

INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLETES DEFY UK ANTI TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR WATAMU EVENT (Posted 30th March 2015) The ‘Season Opener’ for Kenya’s triathlon calendar will be held in Watamu / Kilifi county at the Kenya coast on 18th and 19th of April and over 200 local and international athletes have already signed up for the event. The various […]

Lupita in Kampala and almost no one knows …

OSCAR WINNER LUPITA ON LOCATION IN KAMPALA FOR ‘QUEEN OF KATWE’ PRODUCTION (Posted 30th March 2015) The Oscar winning star of ’12 Years a Slave’, Lupita Nyong’o, is presently in Uganda for the shoot of the Mira Nair directed film ‘Queen of Katwe’ and ‘official Uganda’ is only slowly catching on to the news. The […]

Rocky start for Jambojet’s Ukunda flights?

JAMBOJET ACCUSED TO STRAND UKUNDA PASSENGERS AS FLIGHT FAILS TO ARRIVE (Posted 30th March 2015) After launching their new domestic destinations Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda only two days ago has apparently the goodwill Jambojet created with the new flights already evaporated and gone out of the proverbial window as far as Ukunda is concerned. Social […]

Construction delays trigger a full project audit for Kigali’s new conference centre

RWANDAN GOVERNMENT AT THE VERGE OF SACKING CONTRACTOR FOR NEW NATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE? (Posted 29th March 2015) Word is coming out of tourism stakeholder circles in Kigali that the Rwandan government, clearly exasperated over the long delay in the completion of the new national convention centre and the adjoining hotel, has appointed auditors to get […]

e-Commerce across Africa gathers pace as new deals are signed

JOVAGO.COM JOINS FORCES WITH TRIVAGO.COM TO ADD YET MORE VALUE FOR CLIENTS (Posted 29th March 2015) Africa’s top hotel booking platform has just signed up for a deal with Trivago, the world’s leading hotel search and price comparison site, to add yet more oomph to their services and provide their clients with the arguably best […]

Kenya – after a downturn there is always another upturn

KENYA’S CURRENT CHALLENGES – NOT SO NEW AFTER ALL (Posted 29th March 2015) Some of the younger generation of tourism stakeholders must be forgiven if they think that Kenya is at present faced with an unprecedented crisis for the sector, compounded by hostile anti-travel advisories. While way back in time there were few such anti-travel […]

Congo plays spoiler at GVTC meeting in Kigali last week

CONGO TURNS INTO THE ODD MAN OUT AMONG THE GVTC PARTNER COUNTRIES (Posted 29th March 2015) The three day meeting last week in Kigali between the Greater Virunga Transboundary Cooperation countries failed to make progress towards the signing of a new treaty and close observers blamed the Congolese delegation for being the main obstacle to […]

Yemen airspace closure adds up to an hour to journey times to and from the Gulf

FLIGHTS FROM AND TO THE GULF TAKING UP TO AN HOUR LONGER DUE TO YEMEN CRISIS (Posted 29th March 2015) Airlines flying from East Africa to the Gulf have announced an increase in journey time effective immediately as a result of the conflict now engulfing Yemen and the subsequent closure of that country’s airspace. RwandAir […]

Newsletter: Climate Report, New Camp, and More

News updates from the Ewaso Lions CLICK HERE TO DONATE March 2015 Climate Report: Adapting to Rapidly Changing Conditions In recent months, Samburu has faced extreme dry conditions. This has elevated tensions among local people, and created a complex landscape for human-lion conflict. Within just one month, we went from digging water holes for people […]

No 369 Wildlife Trade News 28th March 2015

Yes, another daily dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes under the spotlight today …………………… China main reason Africa is losing war to stop wipe-out of rhinos and elephants (Published in China’s mainstream media but will never be seen on the pro-China CITES secretariat web site, will it? Are you suspicious about […]

Red carpets await Jambojet’s maiden flights to Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda today

COUNTY OFFICIALS AND TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS ROLL OUT RED CARPET FOR JAMBOJET (Posted 28th March 2015) The red carpet has been prepared and the fire engines are standing by this morning for the traditional water shower at the Lamu Aerodrome and later at the Malindi Airport when Jambojet.com will perform their maiden flights from Nairobi. The […]

Reunion wins third Travel d’ Or Trophy

REUNION WINS THE THIRD ‘TRAVEL D’ OR’ TROPHY (Posted 28th March 2015) From January 26th to March 02nd inclusive were nearly 15 million Internet users invited to vote for their favourite travel site on the occasion of the seventh edition of D’Or Travel. Nominated alongside 49 other destinations did the island of Reunion win the […]

Is the UK government trying to kill Kenya’s tourism industry?

UK DELIVERS VICIOUS BACKLASH AGAINST KENYA’S REFUSAL TO RENEW TROOP TRAINING DEAL (Posted 28th March 2015) Within days of the visit by UK’s Foreign Secretary to Nairobi and Kenya’s refusal to renew a troop training deal unless the UK agreed to have all troops deployed to Kenya subjected to Kenyan law, did the almost predictable […]

Kenya’s coast – experienced from the privacy of a beach side villa

FROM KENYA’S COAST WITH LOVE (Posted 28th March 2015) (Scheherazade House in Kilifi) Conventional beach vacations along the Kenya coast offer plenty of choices with resorts from Lamu over Malindi, Watamu, Kilifi, the beaches from Shanzu over Bamburi to Nyali and then of course south of Mombasa ranging from the very simple to the very […]

No 368 Wildlife Trade News 27th March 2015

More bad news from around the world about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes … and as you will read, NO REACTION Comment: Our request yesterday for news of any REAL progress having been made at the Botswana conference, has met with no response. China, as expected, made no commitment to do anything different – why […]

Conservation’s Biggest Con Job

News from the Conservation Action Trust Conservation’s Biggest Con Job Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Conservation’s biggest con job | | | South Africa’s lion hunting industry has little to do with conservation and everything to do with profit but it seems only foreign governments care. Here’s a trick […]

Waturi Wa Matu leaves EATP today after one last stakeholder meeting

IT IS OFF TO NEW VENTURES FOR EATP’S WATURI WA MATU (Posted 27th March 2015) When three years ago the East African Tourism Platform was launched across the East African Community, amid some serious fanfare for that matter, it was the first time that a regional tourism apex body was put into place, able to […]

It is ready, set and go for Jambojet’s new coast routes as new Q400 arrives in Nairobi

JAMBOJET TAKES DELIVERY OF THEIR FIRST BOMBARDIER Q400NEXTGEN AIRCRAFT (Posted 27th March 2015) Jambojet, Kenya Airways’s inhouse low cost carrier subsidiary, yesterday took delivery of their first Bombardier Q400NextGen aircraft, when it arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Registered as 5Y-QUE will the aircraft in two days enter commercial service with flights to Jambojet’s new […]

World Travel Awards – cast your vote!

It is the time of year when you need to vote for your own and your favourites in the tourism sector … WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS – VOTING NOW OPEN Jambo ! We are honoured to have been nominated again in the World Travel Awards – the "Oscars of the Travel Industry"! Now in its 22nd […]

Foodies should head to Lamu, Malindi and Watamu this Easter

IT IS ALL ABOUT FOOD OVER THE EASTER WEEKEND IN LAMU, MALINDI AND WATAMU (Posted 27th March 2015) In Lamu, Malindi and Watamu it will be all about food this Easter weekend and visitors to these destinations can expect to find a great variety of local dishes. In Lamu in fact it will be Kenya’s […]