Egypt comes to Uganda – well at least food, song and dance do.

SHERATON KAMPALA AND EGYPT AIR JOIN HANDS TO ‘BRING EGYPT TO UGANDA’ (Posted 19th March 2015) Egyptian culture, song, dance and food will make a flying visit to Kampala / Uganda courtesy of Egypt Air, which has teamed up with the Sheraton Kampala Hotel to promote inter African exchanges. The airline flies several times a […]

Sport fishing thrives in Uganda on rivers and lakes

FISHING COMPETITION EARNS UWA A COOL 100 MILLION UGANDA SHILLINGS (Posted 18th March 2015) Fishing in Uganda is one of the more popular activities for expatriates but also fishermen from abroad and the many lakes and rivers offer plenty of opportunity to test the lines and the strength of one’s arms, especially when a Nile […]

No 359 Wildlife Trade News 17th March 2015

Another dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and conservation crimes … in the spotlight today …………………… EU complicit in illegal deforestation claims report http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/buying-and-supplying/sourcing/eu-complicit-in-illegal-deforestation-claims-report/515466.article No 359 Wildlife Trade News 17th March 2015 Rhino Squad in Training for Botswana as Country Battles Poachershttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-16/rhino-squad-in-training-for-botswana-as-country-battles-poachers Conservationists: Seven elephants killed in Tsavo last week. (NA comment: Case for […]

Your vote can help win £8,000 prize for Save the Rhino!

Helping ‘Save the Rhino’ helps saving rhinos Use one or two sentences in this area to offer a teaser of your email’s content. Text here will show in a preview area in some email clients. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. March 2015 You can vote for Save the Rhino […]

No 358 Wildlife Trade News 16th March 2015

The daily dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes from around the world in the spotlight today ……………………starting with two news reports that are unlikely to appear on the CITES web site. A ravenous market for wildlife parts is pushing Earth’s biota to the brink. LOS ANGELES TIMES. EXTRACT: China is the […]

Djibouti will be the seat of Lufthansa Consulting’s Africa office

LUFTHANSA CONSULTING SETTING UP AN AFRICA OFFICE IN DJIBOUTI (Posted 16th March 2015) Lufthansa Consulting has just announced the establishment of an office in Djibouti which will serve Africa and help expand business across the continent. The opening of a continental office in this region is an extension of the company’s successful performance on the […]

Reunion ends ITB2015 on a high

ITB PRESENCE BY REUNION A HUGE SUCCESS (Posted 16th March 2015) Vanilla Islands founder member Reunion recorded a big success at the recently concluded ITB2015 in Berlin when over 1.500 trade visitors thronged the stand to learn about the island and sign deals with hotels, resorts, DMC’s and Air Austral. Besides the team from IRT, […]

Air Seychelles announces a return to nonstop flights to Paris

AIR SEYCHELLES ANNOUNCES RESUMPTION OF NONSTOP FLIGHTS TO PARIS (Posted 16th March 2015) Come July will Air Seychelles resume nonstop flights between Mahe and Paris CDG with three services per week, using the airline’s two class Airbus A330-200 aircraft. This will substitute the flights which hitherto routed via Abu Dhabi considerably added to the flying […]

Congo Oh Congo …

KINSHASA REGIME HELLBENT TO EXPLORE FOR OIL IN UNESCO PROTECTED VIRUNGA PARK (Posted 16th March 2015) The regime in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, already notorious for stolen elections, human rights abuses and for harbouring militias hostile to neighbours Rwanda and Uganda, is adding another dimension to their tainted record. News are emerging from Kinshasa that the […]

Mauritius heads to the Seychelles Carnival as Mootoosamy’s influence wanes

MAURITIUS JOINS THE SEYCHELLES CARNIVAL BANDWAGON – AT LAST (Posted 16th March 2015) All is well which ends well came to mind when confirmation was received that finally, at the fifth Seychelles Carnival, will Mauritius be represented with an official delegation and participate in the juggernaut of carnivalistas who will throng the island at the […]

More international hotel brands are heading to Kenya

HILTON GARDEN INN SET FOR Q2 OPENING NEXT YEAR NEAR JKIA IN NAIROBI (Posted 16th March 2015) A new 175 bedroom hotel is due to open along Mombasa road, not too far from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, in just over a year’s time. The proposed Hilton Garden Inn will be operated under the brand’s […]

More money for communities living around Bwindi National Park

UWA DOUBLES COMMUNITY SHARE FROM EACH SOLD GORILLA PERMIT (Posted 16th March 2015) The announcement over the last weekend by the Executive Director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority Dr. Andrew Seguya, that effective 01st of July this year the community share from each sold gorilla tracking permit in Bwindi will be doubled, evoked swift reactions […]

No 357 Wildlife Trade News 15th March 2015

And yet another dose of bad news, following hot on the heels of an update filed yesterday about the killing of two rhinos in Kenya … in the spotlight today …………………… Chinese lust for ivory could kill of world’s weirdest bird – the helmeted hornbill whose ivory fetched £4,000 per kilo (three times that of […]

Australia bans import of all lion parts to stop canned hunting

Australia says NO to ‘cruel and barbaric’ canned lion hunting By Peter Borchert March 13, 2015 CAPTION Two full-maned lions bred in captivity: animals such as these are at the very top of international trophy hunters wishlists.. © Ian Michler The Hon. Greg Hunt, Australia’s Minister for the Environment has delivered a broadside against the […]

Seychelles Carnival – a magnet for carnivalistas and the global media

Come April the 24th will the 5th edition of the Seychelles Carnival kick off on the main island of Mahe. The parade is due to be held on the 25th of April when the juggernaut of carnivalistas will roll through the streets of Victoria in a display of colour, music, dance and much more.Here are […]

Two more rhinos mowed down for their horns in Kenya

TWO RHINOS POACHED AT OL JOGI THREATEN THE SURVIVAL OF THE CONSERVANCY (Posted 15th March 2015 reporting from the Mombasa Serena Resort & Spa) (File photo of a poached rhino courtesy of meebal.com) Only a few hours ago was an article posted here about the renewed poaching in the Tsavo area of Kenya where over […]

And don’t forget to mention tariff rises and VAT do tourism stakeholders remind KWS

TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS BLAME VAT ON PARK FEES FOR DOWNTURN (Posted 15th March 2015) Less visitors on safari, less park fees earned – this is a simple equation. KWS, the Kenya Wildlife Service, suffered a serious downturn in financial fortunes over the past year but when the organization attributed the negative trend simply to the prevailing […]

Tanzania National Parks set to keep tariffs in place for at least one more year

TANAPA TO HOLD PARK FEES UNTIL 2016 (Posted 15th March 2015) Confirmation was received over the weekend that TANAPA, the Tanzania National Park Authority, has apparently decided to hold park entrance tariffs which were due for upward revision, until 2016. Last revised from 01st July 2013, and initially due to be valid until 30th June […]

No 356 Wildlife Trade News 14th March 2015

The daily dose of bad news … about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes … in the spotlight today …………………… PM+: EU must take action to close ivory trade loopholes. extract: In 2011 Belgium issued just eight certificates for raw ivory. The following year that increased to 18. 2013 saw a huge jump to 97 and […]

Lillian Gaitho today takes a look at Addis Ababa

This particular guest writer has over the past months really established herself and readers of my blog repeatedly expressed their gratitude about the direction of her articles and the topics selected. Well here is another one of her reviews, discussing a visit to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, seat of the African Union. Addis-Ababa – Africa’s […]

News from the Kenya coast …

The South Coast Residents Association is more and moreestablishing itself as the primary authoritative voice of the private sector in the wider Diani, Tiwi, Ukunda and Msambweni areas. Readers often ask for more information from the grassroots and the SCRA Newsletter is one way to find out more about activities, challenges and reactions. Enjoy the […]

Reunion pays special attention to travellers with disabilities

THE SAGA DU RHUM MUSEUM WELCOMES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (Posted 14th March 2015) France, on the weekend of 28th and 29th of March, will across the mainland and the regions, including Reunion, showcase and highlight how people with disabilities can travel, stay and explore. Reunion’s Saga du Rhum Museum in fact last year won national […]

Profitable again … Air Seychelles for the third year in a row

ANOTHER YEAR OF PROFITABILITY FOR AIR SEYCHELLES (Posted 14th March 2015) Passengers carried in 2014: 412.088 Total revenue in 2014: 106.9 million US Dollars – up by 20 percent Cargo carried: 7.311 tons in 2014 Profits for 2014: 3.2 million US Dollars These are the proud figures Air Seychelles released yesterday when making public the […]

No 355 Wildlife Trade News 13th March 2015

Your daily dose of bad news … a never ending story …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 …………………… Vanishing Species: International Experts Find Fault with CITES ‘Documents’. EXTRACT: Wild animals imported to Armenia are […]

Fastjet adds Kilimanjaro to their Entebbe route

FASTJET SET FOR ENTEBBE – KILIMANJARO FLIGHTS (Posted 13th March 2015) Fastjet has announced that they will be launching flights between Kilimanjaro International Airport and Entebbe at the 31st of March, extending the present Dar es Salaam to Entebbe service with the stop at JRO. Arusha, some 50 kilometres away, is the seat of the […]

Reunion serves as photo shoot location for the world’s greatest outdoor brand

NORTH FACE SELECTS REUNION FOR MAJOR PHOTO SHOOT (Posted 13th March 2015) China’s and the world’s number one outdoor clothing brand, The North Face, has selected Reunion Island for their 2015 photo shoot, giving huge added publicity to the island which is truly one of the most breathtaking adventure destinations on the globe. A team […]

New taxes and fees on wood carvings likely to kill the curio trade in Tanzania

NEW TAX AND FEE RULES FOR WOODCARVINGS CERTAIN TO ROCK THE BOAT IN TANZANIA (Posted 13th March 2015) Incredible news are coming in from Tanzania that the government there, cash strapped ahead of the upcoming general elections, is seeking to fill its coffers from the pockets of tourists who have bought wood carvings while on […]

Turboprop addition to fleet gives Jambojet a wider reach for new domestic destinations

JAMBOJET ADDS LAMU, MALINDI AND UKUNDA WITH NEW BOMBARDIER Q400 AIRCRAFT (Posted 13th March 2015) Jambojet, the low cost subsidiary of national airline Kenya Airways, has now confirmed what has been rumoured for some time, that they will lease a Bombardier Q400NextGen aircraft and begin serving additional domestic routes their present fleet of Boeing B737-300’s […]