Big Summit translates into big tourism business opportunities

KIGALI SERENA OFFERS DELEGATES FREE TRIPS TO THE LAKE KIVU SERENA RESORT (Posted 07th October 2015) Delegates booked at the Kigali Serena Hotel for the upcoming ‘Transform Africa Summit’ will be in for a pleasant surprise as the hotel will provide free transport to Gisenyi, where East Africa’s best known and largest hotel group operates […]

Etihad gets thumbs up as best Business Class Airline at 26th Annual TTG Awards

ETIHAD NAMED BEST AIRLINE – BUSINESS CLASS (Posted 07th October 2015) Etihad Airways has been named Best Airline – Business Class at the 26th Annual TTG Travel Awards 2015. The award, voted for by the readers of TTG Asia, TTG China, TTG India, TTG MICE, TTG-BT Mice China, TTG Associations and TTG Asia Luxury, was […]

How many mountain gorillas are there really in the Virunga Massif? Read on to find out!

NEW MOUNTAIN GORILLA CENSUS UNDERWAY (Posted 07th October 2015) The wildlife management bodies in Rwanda, Uganda and Congo have embarked on a new census to reliably establish the numbers of surviving mountain gorillas in the Virunga Massif and the adjoining parks like Bwindi. Lead body will be the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, which main office […]

Only in Seychelles does one find a true rainbow nation

Seychellois with Indian origins honoured in the Wall of History that is set to recognize the five historical lines of the Seychellois people (Posted 06th October 2015) A part of a Wall of History honoring Seychellois people of Indian origins was unveiled as part of the Seychelles-India Day Celebrations 2015. This Wall of History is […]

A sneak preview on key attendees of the 40th ATA Annual Congress in Nairobi

Program Highlights for ATA’s 40th Annual World Congress in Kenya View this email in your browser LOOK WHO’S ATTENDING ATA’S 40TH ANNUAL WORLD CONGRESS IN KENYA Dear ATA Members & Friends, We invite you to join us for ATA’s 40th Annual World Congress in Nairobi, Kenya from November 9-14, 2015, where we will be hosted […]

Make a date with EcoTourism Kenya at MKTE2015

View this email in your browser THE 10TH ECO WARRIOR AWARDS & GALA DINNER 16TH, OCTOBER, 2015 LEISURE LODGE, DIANI KENYA Share Tweet Forward to Friend +1 Share SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – Keeping the Magic Alive Ecotourism Kenya will hold its 10th Edition of the Eco-Warriors Award Ceremony Gala Night on Friday 16th October 2015. The […]

Traveling long haul – that is when good service really matters …

SAVOIR VIVRE – IT STILL EXISTS IN THE SKIES (Posted 05th October 2015) I should start this story with ‘Once upon a time’ because once upon a time it truly was when the predecessor of what today is Brussels Airlines, Sabena, flew to Nairobi where I then lived, giving me memories of fine food and […]

The return to Musoma / Tanzania gives this airline its 11th destination

PRECISION AIR RETURNS TO MUSOMA (Posted 06th October 2015) Precision Air just announced their imminent return to Musoma, after halting services two years ago due to the poor conditions of the runway and apron which led to damage to one of their ATR aircraft. Following major improvements made by the Tanzania Airport Authority has the […]

Thinking Golf? Think Kenya!

KENYA GOLF TROPHY GETS NEW SPONSORS (Posted 06th October 2015) One of Kenya’s annual golfing highlights, the Kenya Golf Trophy, will again play out in a couple of weeks in Nairobi, bringing together the top golfers from not just Kenya but from the wider region too. The event was inspired by Tobs Cohen, a golfer […]

Rail transport – the future of heavy haulage in East Africa

RIFT VALLEY RAILWAYS ADDS 480 NEW WAGONS TO FLEET (Posted 06th October 2015) The phrase that competition is good applies to many economic arenas and the railways in East Africa are no different. The upcoming brand new Standard Gauge Railway from Mombasa via Nairobi to the Ugandan border and on to Kampala, being built at […]

Wedding season? Honeymoons?

In her week opener does Lillian Gaitho take aim at weddings and honeymoons, and having just attended a family wedding myself in the old country, I hasten to share her insights with you all … Meanwhile, as Lillian was too shy to name her favourite honeymoon destinations, here are a few tips of my own […]

MUSSELS NIGHT AT LE CHATEAU

Now here is a delight I managed to miss and will miss the next one too due to constant travels … that said, I managed to get some of my own culinary delights while in Belgium last week. Le Chateau of course has a distinct Belgian pedigree and ranks as one of my favourite restaurants, […]

The countdown continues to the Kigali Aviation Conference and Safety Seminars

It is now just over 5 weeks until the 4th Safety in African Aviation Conference in Kigali, 19-20November 2015! The conference is set to be the biggest one yet, so make sure that you book your place today, in order not to miss out! Programme –We have compiled an exciting programme that will capture all […]

African Hospitality news updates

Africa tourism set for sustained growth (Posted 05th October 2015) The hotel and tourism industry in Africa is beginning a period of sustained growth, according to the sector’s leading experts gathered at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum in Addis Ababa The hotel and tourism industry in Africa is beginning a period of sustained if not […]

Tourism – Uganda’s potential economic miracle cure

TOURISM’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO UGANDA’S GDP RISE TO 6.3 TRILLION SHILLINGS (Posted 05th October 2015) Recently published figures suggest that the contributions made by the tourism industry to the Ugandan GDP has risen from 2013 to 2014 by 0.8 trillion Uganda Shillings, reaching 6.3 trillion shillings overall. This comes on the back of increased arrival numbers […]

Nairobi – a magnet for international hotel groups

MOEVENPICK SET TO OPEN THEIR FIRST HOTEL IN NAIROBI IN 2016 (Posted 05th October 2015) Information from the recently ended Africa Hotel Investment Summit in Addis Ababa suggests that Swiss hotel group Moevenpick will open its first hotel in Kenya by the middle of next year Already under construction will the new property inject some […]

The miraculous multiplication of South Sudan’s 10 states into 28

SOUTH SUDAN’S STATES GET NEW BOUNDARIES – ALONG TRIBAL LINES (Posted 04th October 2015) In a surprise move, which very likely belies the utterings made publicly about the IGAD peace agreement signed between the regime in Juba and the SPLM-IO [standing for ‘In Opposition’] has the president of South Sudan over the weekend signed new […]

Book a bus trip and end up flying – only in Kenya

JAMBOJET ROCKS MARKET BY FLYING BUS PASSENGERS TO KISUMU (Posted 04th October 2015) In what can only be described as a stroke of genius marketing and PR ploy did Jambojet, the LCC subsidiary of Kenya Airways, make eleven bus passengers stare in disbelief, when instead of taking to the road to Kisumu they ended up […]

SITE 2015 – Lessons learned from last year

When, following the closure of the inaugural SITE 2014 event Denis Gathanju of Safari Communications filed his report for this publication, its content confirmed by several other participants in what appeared to be a highly challenged event, was the reaction from Dar es Salaam swift and loud.Accusations were made of deliberate misrepresentations and ill intent […]

Cruiseliners set to return to the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands

SEYCHELLES EYE 15.000 CRUISE PASSENGERS BY 2017 (Posted 04th October 2015) Recent high level meetings between not just Seychelles but other Vanilla Islands tourism organizations officials with cruise lines seem to have yielded prompt results, as Costa Cruises is accelerating their Indian Ocean cruise programmes. The deals were sealed at the just concluded Top Resa […]

Kenya’s ‘heavyweights’ join hands to promote the country

KENYATTA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE PARTNERS WITH NATIONAL AIRLINE (Posted 04th October 2015) Kenya’s premier conference and meeting facility in the heart of the capital Nairobi, the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, and national airline Kenya Airways, last week put pen to paper to sign an extensive Memorandum of Understanding aimed to promote the country as a […]

Kenya’s Safari Rally – alive and kicking

UNDERWAY – THE EAST AFRICAN SAFARI CLASSIC RALLY (Posted 04th October 2015) The Kenya Airways sponsored East African Safari Classic Rally went underway over the weekend with local favourite Ian Duncan first off the starting ramp. This rally, often dubbed as the world’s greatest, is a modern day replica of the once upon a time […]

Chimp News from Uganda’s Ngamba Island

DONATE Make a donation today to the welfare of chimpanzees in our care at Ngamba Island. #everypennycounts Chimpanzee Trust Plot 1, Bank Close P.O.Box 884 Entebbe, Uganda info Health Checks at Ngamba Island Over the last couple of months, the chimpanzees on Ngamba Island have been undergoing their annual health examinations. This involves a general […]

Medical emergency prompts diversion of Reunion bound flight to the Seychelles

REUNION BOUND AIR FRANCE FLIGHT DIVERTS TO SEYCHELLES OVER MEDICAL EMERGENCY (Posted 04th October 2015) Last week did a scheduled flight from Paris CDG to Reunion’s Roland Garros International Airport at the capital St. Denis make an unscheduled landing in the Seychelles, when a medical emergency on board prompted the pilots to divert the flight […]

Brussels Airlines supports Makerere University Award Scheme

 MAKERERE UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES VARSITY AWARD SCHEME (Posted 04th October 2015) East Africa’s arguably leading but definitely most famous ivory tower, Makerere University in Kampala, has recently launched their own award scheme, recognizing not just academic excellence but also covering creativity, innovation and social engagement, among others. Community impact, as shown further below in the various […]