Breaking News – Egypt Air in financial dire straits
EGYPT AIR IN DIRE STRAITS Information was received from usual well informed airline sources that Egypt Air, a member of the global Star Alliance, is seeking assistance from fellow member airlines in need of more aircraft to lease out, by dry or wet lease, as many as two dozen aircraft during the upcoming summer season. […]
Breaking News – Higher fuel supplements on the way by African airlines
AFRICAN AIRLINES BEMOAN FUEL PRICE INCREASES Airlines flying across the East African region have started mulling over an imminent increase in their fuel supplements, charged over and above the ticket costs to cover for the present price explosion. Since the outbreak of political unrest a few weeks ago in Tunisia the wave of protests have […]
News updates – Zanzibar’s tourism stakeholders demand better services
ZANZIBAR TOURISM INVESTORS DEMAND ‘BETTER’ FROM GOVERNMENT Water, electricity, security and garbage removal, amongst many other issues, were the main problems cited by the Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors, in short ZATI, when they recently met with government officials to discuss matters of mutual interest and also of ongoing and growing concern. Other more administrative […]
Breaking News – Somali ocean terrorists kill American hostages
THE DEATH OF THE YACHTSMEN When news were confirmed yesterday afternoon that the four Americans, captured with their yacht off the coast of Oman, had died at the hand of their captors, the problem of the ocean terrorist took another turn to the worse. Often called a problem from hell, the hell that Somalia has […]
Breaking News – Hilton to manage new hotel in Kigali
HILTON TO COME TO RWANDA’S CAPITAL KIGALI Information was just received that Hilton Hotels, one of the industry leaders and well known brand name in the hospitality industry world wide, has signed a deal for a 160 room and suites hotel in Kigali’s city centre. Adjoining to the hotel will be serviced apartments for rent, also to […]
Breaking News – Tanzania jails Somali pirates to long prison terms
SOMALI PIRATES TO SERVE LONG PRISON TERMS IN TANZANIA NOW Information was received from Dar es Salaam that as many as 11 Somali pirates, captured in recent months, have had their day in court and were found guilty of charges of piracy and related offenses. Reportedly all of them were sentenced to long prison terms […]
Breaking News – Seychelles set date for presidential election
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS SET FOR MAY The Seychelles government has just announced the dates for the Presidential Elections on the archipelago, when May 19th – 21st were set aside for this regular democratic exercise. The Electoral Commission pointed out that May 21st will be the ‘main day’ for voting but that due to the distances across […]
Breaking News – Juba chosen as main venue to declare independence in July
INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION TO TAKE PLACE IN JUBA All available hotel space is being booked up right now for the period of the 09th of July, and the days prior and afterwards, when the new Republic of South Sudan will for formally launched and independence from the ‘old’ Sudan and the regime in Khartoum announced. The […]
News update – Dam ‘not good’ for Lake Turkana
DAM IS NOT GOOD FOR LAKE TURKANA Protests took place in Nairobi last weekend aimed at the Gibe III dam, Ethiopia is constructing on their territory but which is said to have an immediate and massive impact on Kenya too. The only major river, the River Omo, emptying into Lake Turkana in Kenya is being […]
Weekly Roundup – News from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region, fourth edition February 2011
TOURISM, AVIATION AND CONSERVATION NEWS from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean region A weekly roundup of reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates via Twitter @whthome or on my blog: www.wolfganghthome.wordpress.com Fourth edition February 2011 WHAT TO READ AND HOW TO STAY INFORMED […]
News update – Tanzania planning special activities for 50th Independence anniversay in December
TANZANIA TOURIST BOARD PLANS ‘SPECIAL EVENTS’ FOR 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE The TTB is reportedly planning a series of events for the tourism industry in the run up to the 09th December, which will mark the half century of Independence for East Africa’s largest country. The various events will cover every aspect the tourism sector […]
News update – Kenya’s tourism stakeholders tell coalition government to keep the peace and not endanger sectoral growth
KENYA’S TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS DEMAND ‘PEACE’ FROM GOVERNMENT The current series of wrangles, spits and spats in the Kenyan government over new appointments and a range of other issues following the introduction of a new constitution last year, has not amused tourism stakeholders at all apparently. Over the last weekend has the Chairman of the Mombasa […]
Breaking News – Museveni wins election
MUSEVENI WINS – NO CHANGE AT THE TOP President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was as predicted re-elected with a massive majority of votes – 68 percent to be precise – leaving his opponents trailing in his wake with some hardly getting much more than a percent of the overall votes cast. It does leave one to wonder what […]
Breaking News – Tourism State Minister loses re-election bid
TOURISM STATE MINISTER LOSES RACE FOR PARLIAMENT Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities in the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry Hon. Serapio Rukundo, lost his quest to return to parliament when he was beaten by an independent candidate in his home town of Kabale in South Western Uganda. Rukundo was repeatedly in the news […]
News update – Rwanda gets UN’s Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity ‘stamp of approval’
UN’S GOODWILL AMBASSADOR FOR BIODIVERSITY ‘INSPIRED BY RWANDA’ American actor Edward Norton, currently the UN’s Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, is presently in Rwanda to get firsthand experience on the legislative and regulatory measures taken to preserve, protect and restore biodiversity. As regularly reported here, Rwanda has an outstanding record in protecting flora and fauna and […]
Breaking News – Seychelles Island Foundation gets EU grant to protect Aldabra / Vallee de Mai
SEYCHELLES ISLAND FOUNDATION GETS EU GRANT TO FIGHT ‘INVASIVE SPECIES’ The European Union has awarded the Seychelles Island Foundation a grant of over 800.000 Euros after approving a project drawn up and designed by SIF recently. The foundation is tasked to look after two crucially important UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the visitor magnet ‘Vallee de […]
News update – Goma volcano heading for another eruption
GOMA VOLCANO SET FOR ANOTHER ERUPTION Previous eruptions in recent times may be dwarfed by the expected next eruption of Mr. Nyiragongo, which towers over the Eastern Congolese city of Goma. 9 years ago, in January 2002, when the region’s most active volcano erupted, the reportedly rather ‘liquid’ lava swiftly covered a sizeable part of […]
Breaking News – Dar’s international airport open again – airlines furious over incident and aviation safety issues
DAR’S JNIA AIRPORT OPEN AGAIN / AIRLINES IN DAR ‘FURIOUS’ OVER INCIDENT A regular aviation source in Dar es Salaam has through third parties passed his own views and that of several of his colleagues, even from other airlines, on the airport closure of Dar’s Julius Nyerere International Airport. He said he had to opt […]
Breaking News – Update – Explosions in Dar es Salaam
UPDATE ON ARMY BASE EXPLOSION NEAR DAR ES SALAAM’S JNIA Information received from Dar at present pegs the death toll ‘near 20’ with reportedly hundreds of people, both from the base as well as from residential areas within a radius of several miles, injured. The hospitals are not confirming details by phone on how many […]
Breaking News – Explosions at Dar es Salaam military base close airport
MAJOR EXPLOSIONS AT DAR ES SALAAM MILITARY BASE CLOSE AIRPORT The international airport in Dar es Salaam was closed last night, when a series of explosions rocked a nearby military base once again, the last such blasts having occurred in 2009. Information, though sketchy, from Dar indicates that as many as several hundred people may […]
Breaking News – RwandAir selects SITA IT-solutions and frequent flyer programme
RWANDAIR SELECTS SITA’S IT SOLUTIONS The Rwandan national airline has entered into a long term arrangement with SITA to provide their new e-Commerce platform for web based transactions and secure payments with credit cards or e-transfers. The system launch date will be sometime in April this year, when other modalities have been resolved and final preparations […]
Breaking News – Kenya Airways gets certification for B737-800 simulator
KENYA AIRWAYS RECEIVES ‘SIMULATOR’ CERTIFICATION ‘The Pride of Africa’ has today started using their own fully certified simulator facility at the ‘Pride Training Centre’ in Embakasi / Nairobi, after receiving the requisite ‘paperwork’ from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and the British CAA. Having certification from Britain too will allow the facility to be used by […]
News update – Fibre optic cable survey underway to connect Seychelles to African mainland
SURVEY SHIP FOR FIBRE OPTIC CABLE LINK TO MAINLAND SETS OUT EGS Explorer left the Victoria port on Mahe yesterday to commence a long distance survey mission, which will end on the African mainland at Dar es Salaam port, aimed at establishing the contours of the seabed along which the fibre optic connection will be laid. […]
Breaking News – South Sudan President Salva Kiir launches final construction phase of Juba – Nimule highway
SOUTH SUDAN STARTS TARMACKING OF JUBA – NIMULE HIGHWAY The project to lay tarmac on this crucial highway, linking the South Sudan capital of Juba with the northern Ugandan municipality of Gulu, has been formally launched last week when President Salva Kiir, the US’ Consul General in Juba and contractors’ representatives met for the ceremony. The highway […]
News update – Kigali International Airport gets security boost
ANOTHER AVIATION SECURITY COURSE SEES 22 MORE GRADUATE Information was received from Kigali overnight that another course initiated by the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, in conjunction with global body ICAO, has ended with the graduation of all participants. This dedicated security workshop and training session lasted two weeks and was aimed at members of […]
Breaking News – Seychelles invites naval ships to Victoria during ‘Carnival Festival’
CARNIVAL FESTIVAL INVITATION EXTENDED TO NAVAL SHIPS TOO The Seychelles’ first ever ‘Carnival Festival’ due to be held between 04th and 06th of March continues to attract attention from the traditional carnival countries, many of which have committed to send delegations to Mahe, but of late also from another quarter. The coastguard / navy of the […]
Breaking News – History Park planned at/near Olduvai Gorge
HISTORY PARK PLANNED AT OLDUVAI GORGE Major construction can be expected at and near the prehistoric sites of Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakey family made their famous discoveries of early mankind. More recent finds some 40 odd kilometres away in Laetoli include footsteps dated back over 3.5 million years, but those have until now been kept literally […]
Breaking News – Arabian Travel Market to dedicate seperate pavilion to Africa
ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET DEDICATES PAVILION TO AFRICA The upcoming edition of the Gulf and Arab’s world most important tourism trade fare will have a new feature for its visitors, as an ‘Africa Pavilion’ will be established for exhibitors coming from the continent and aiming to tap into the hugely important expatriate and citizen travel potential from […]
Breaking News – Kenya Airways releases Q3 results (Oct-Dec2010)
KQ’S Q3 OPERATING PERFORMANCE IMPRESSIVELY IMPROVED Kenya Airways has just released its statistics on the current financial year’s 3rd quarter operating performance, covering the period between October and December 2010. Overall capacity provided during the period grew by 5.2 percent, across the network, which broken down by geographical regions translates into the following regionalised growth: […]
More ‘Spotlight’ workshops planned for JNB and CPT
HOUSTON MARKETING OFFERS ‘SPOTLIGHT’ WORKSHOPS IN JNB AND CPT Derek Houston has just announced that he will be holding more ‘Spotlight’ workshops in Johannesburg and Cape Town on 06th and 08th April respectively, during which East African tourism businesses can once again showcase their new products and itineraries to two key South African markets. Derek in an […]
