Kenya’s new tourism minister seeks 5 billion budget allocation from treasury to finance marketing and PR
NEW TOURISM MINISTER SAYS 5 BILLION SHILLINGS NEEDED FOR MARKETING KENYA (New tourism minister Danson Mwazo [left] and the former office holder Najib Balala [right]) At the handover from Hon. Najib Balala who had fallen victim to party politics and paid the price for standing up against his chairman Prime Minister Odinga to the newly […]
3rd East African e-Tourism Conference goes underway at Nairobi’s InterContinental Hotel
E-TOURISM CONFERENCE KICKS OFF AT INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL NAIROBI The third East African e-Tourism Conference, sponsored by the InterContinental Hotel Nairobi, The Kenya Commercial Bank, VISA and the Kenya Tourist Board has gone underway today in Kenyas capital Nairobi, with over 200 attendees filling the conference room to the brim. Keynote speaker on opening was IHGs […]
Skal Kampala holds AGM, re-elects Kainembabazi Sabiti as club president
SKAL KAMPALA RE-ELECTS KAINEMBABAZI SABITI TO ANOTHER TERM The annual general meeting last evening of the Skal Club of Kampala saw Kainembabazi Sabiti re-elected as club president for another term of office. In her work life Kaine is General Manager for Amadeus in Uganda, also overseeing Rwanda and Burundi. Vice President is James Rattos, Director […]
Rwanda Development Board responds to sectoral demands with a new ‘better service’ campaign
RWANDA DEVELOPMENT BOARD RESPONDS WITH BETTER SERVICE CAMPAIGN Hot on the heels of growing demands by the private sector stakeholders that Rwanda needs more training for staff working in the hospitality industry, has the Rwanda Development Board Tourism and Conservation responded with a dedicated campaign launched yesterday in Kigali, promoting quality services at all levels. […]
Kenya travel news – Travel agencies raise service fees effective 01st April
TRAVEL AGENTS RAISE SERVICE FEES The Kenya Association of Travel Agents has just announced that their members will from 01st of April charge their clients an extra US Dollar 15 equivalent for consultations and bookings made on their behalf, a practice which goes back to around 2007 when airlines on a broad basis discontinued commissions […]
Uganda Wildlife Authority gets new board, finally
UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY GETS NEW BOARD, FINALLY The long wait to have a new competent board appointed, a year since the buddy appointment by former tourism minister Otafire of one Muballa and company came to a dramatic end when court declared him not competent enough to hold the position, is now finally over. Former Permanent […]
Emirates announces to their East African markets the opening date for new A380 terminal in Dubai
EMIRATES SET FOR GRAND OPENING OF NEW A380 TERMINAL ON NEW YEAR 2013 A regular source from the Emirates Kampala office broke the news overnight that their new dedicated A380 terminal will be opened officially on the 01st of January 2013, taking the midnight fireworks Dubai has become famous for further into the New Year. […]
Mauritius news update – More pedestrian zones planned for Port Louis
PORT LOUIS SET TO ADD MORE PERIPHERAL CAR PARKS TO CREATE PEDESTRIAN ZONES (Map courtesy of Google) Information was received from a source in Mauritius that plans are underway by the city council of the islands capital to create two more peripheral multi storey car parks as part of their efforts to create pedestrian only […]
Tanzania conservation news – Marine park extension on to dry land prompts accusations against TANAPA of land grabbing
LOCALS ACCUSE TANAPA OF LAND GRABBING Locals between Tanga, via Mwambani to Pangani are up in arms since it became known that TANAPA is clandestinely scheming for the expansion of the Tanga Marine National Park right into the heart of Tanga before then incorporating swathes of inland locations, including villas and existing properties into a […]
Routes Conferences updates
UPDATES ON ROUTES AFRICA IN SEYCHELLES GENERATE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FLOW Regular reporting on the Routes Africa event which is scheduled for July in the Seychelles capital Victoria on the main island of Mahe has led to a flurry of additional information being availed, for the other Routes Conferences for the various regions around the globe. […]
East Africa’s power woes continue as TANESCO admits to being literally broke and unable to pay power producers
TANESCO ADMITS THAT BEING BROKE AND UNABLE TO PAY TO BLAME FOR OUTAGES In a startling development it was learned overnight that TANESCO, Tanzanias power distributor, has run short of cash and was unable to pay independent power producers, in turn compelling them to switch off their plants as they could no longer buy fuel. […]
Uganda news update – New opinion poll claims over 70 percent dissatisfied with the direction the country is taking
RUDE NEWS FOR GOVERNMENT AS OPINION POLL CLAIMS OVER 70 PERCENT DISSATISFIED Ugandans will be waking up to news today that the latest opinion polls carried out across the country peg the level of dissatisfaction and disillusionment by the people with the governments performance to well over 70 percent, a stark change from a year […]
Rwanda hospitality news – Cross section of hoteliers and managers demands more training for staff
RWANDAS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TAKES AIM AT HOSPITALITY SECTOR Hoteliers in Rwanda have called upon the Workforce Development Authority to step up their training in the hospitality sector to equip staff already in the workplace with better skills and sensitize them to the needs of customer care, according to information received from Kigali yesterday. WDA […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Fourth edition March 2012
AVIATION, TOURISM AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. A weekly roundup of breaking news, reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on Facebook where the articles also cross load or read the daily […]
Kenya’s Minister of Tourism Najib Balala sacked by his party chairman
KENYAS TOURISM MINISTER NAJIB BALALA SACKED A cabinet reshuffle announced this afternoon in Nairobi revealed that Kenyas successful and widely respected Minister of Tourism, presently also the Chairman of the UNWTO Executive Committee, was unceremoniously dumped from his ministerial post after reportedly locking horns with his ODM party chairman and presidential aspirant Prime Minister Odinga, […]
ICAO holds African and Indian Ocean Regional Aviation Safety Meeting in Kampala
ICAOS REGIONAL AIR SAFETY CONFERENCE OPENS IN KAMPALA ICAOs 1st ever Regional Aviation Safety Group Meeting for Africa and the Indian Ocean islands commenced this morning in Kampala, to be followed in two days by the 18th AFI Planning and Implementation Regional Group Meeting at the same venue, the Imperial Royale Hotel in the Nakasero […]
Tanzania aviation news – KADCO gets new chairman, new board
KILIMANJARO AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT COMPANY GETS NEW BOARD As preparations continue to expand and modernize JRO and bring the 1970s style airport into the 21st century at last Kilimanjaro International is the main aviation gateway to the famous northern circuit national parks of Arusha, Tarangire, Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti government has appointed a new board of […]
British Airways set to battle for East African market share
BRITISH AIRWAYS FINALLY FIGHTS BACK From the Worlds Favourite Airline it has been a long way to being just another airline coming to East Africa and the strikes and subsequent negative reports last year did little to swing public opinion back to BA, translating into yielding traffic share to other airlines coming to East Africa, […]
Tanzania tourism breaking news – President Kikwete appoints new TTB chairman, Minister appoints new board members
TANZANIA TOURIST BOARD GETS NEW CHAIRMAN AND DIRECTORS It was confirmed over the weekend that President Kikwete last week appointed Ambassador Charles A. Sanga as the new Chairman of the Tanzania Tourist Board. The Minister of Tourism Ezekiel Maige subsequently appointed new members of the Board of Directors to serve alongside the new chairman, namely […]
UNWTO selects Arusha as venue for first Pan African Conference on Sustainable Tourism Management
UNWTOS FIRST PAN AFRICAN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE TOURISM SET FOR ARUSHA The recently concluded ITB in Berlin / Germany brought good news for Tanzania as pen was put to paper between the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the Government of Tanzania to hold the first ever UNWTO Pan African Conference on Sustainable Tourism Management […]
African aviation news – Routes Africa comes to Seychelles in July
ROUTES AFRICA DEAL SIGNED AND SEALED, ANOTHER FIRST FOR SEYCHELLES The seventh Routes Africa Conference was signed and sealed last week when the organizers and the government of Seychelles put pen to paper to formalize the announcement made a few weeks ago, when in fact the global media were present in Victoria to report about […]
About the trials and tribulations of a frequent traveller – Valued guest on board, suspect on the ground
VALUED GUESTS AND PASSENGERS IN THE AIR, SUSPECTS ON THE GROUND When joining the inaugural flight of Qatar Airways to Kigali earlier in the week in Entebbe, and when returning from Kigali back to Uganda, the excesses and follies of the so called security once again stared me in the face. Here in Uganda, the […]
Seek justice at the East African Court, registrar tells environmentalists and conservationists
THE EAST AFRICAN COURT OF JUSTICE AWAITS YOUR CASES, CONSERVATIONISTS TOLD East Africas conservation and environmental groups found reasons to smile broadly earlier in the week when it became public knowledge that the Registrar of the East African Court of Justice in Arusha had not minced words when encouraging NGOs and individuals who have issues […]
Tanzania’s aviation infrastructure to get boost with new radar centres
MORE RADAR STATIONS FOR TANZANIA TO IMPROVE MONITORING It was learned that the presently single radar station in the country in Dar es Salaam will soon be supplemented with new radar equipment to be installed in Mwanza, the countrys lakeside municipality on Lake Victoria, where construction is at an advanced stage according to information received […]
Kenya Roads Authority targets luxury apartments and villas in Mombasa
TAMARIND VILLAGE OWNERS VOW TO RESIST ROADS AUTHORITY When news emerged earlier in the week that the Kenya Road Authority has floated plans to build another bridge from the island of Mombasa to the northern mainland, and along the route of the old pontoon bridge which at the time allowed only one way traffic until […]
Rwanda embarks on Google Mapping of key attractions, parks and tourist hotspots
RWANDA EMBARKS ON GOOGLE MAPPING OF TOURISM ATTRACTIONS, ANOTHER FIRST Today is a significant day in Rwanda as work will go underway for another First, where Rwanda takes the lead in the region and on the continent, with teams going out into the field, especially the Western part of the country with the national parks […]
Kigali Serena and RwandAir host joint evening to launch loyalty card schemes
KIGALI SERENA AND RWANDAIR HOST CORPORATE CLIENTS The Kigali Serena Hotel and RwandAir last evening hosted a wide range of corporate clients, including leading bankers, to present their respective loyalty schemes Dream Miles and Prestige Club. The two schemes, offering a variety of benefits to members, will undoubtedly be more closely aligned in coming weeks, […]
Kenya aviation news – Gulf Air set to go daily from 01st June onwards
GULF AIR GOES DAILY TO NAIROBI EFFECTIVE 01ST JUNE Information was confirmed from Nairobi and Bahrain that Gulf Air will move from presently 5 flights a week to daily departures between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Kenyas capital city of Nairobi. The increase in frequencies appears prompted by sharply grown demand for seats, mainly connecting […]
UK hostage taken in Kenya freed in Somalia, bringing 6 months drama to an end
AMISOM FORCES PRESSURE PROMPTS RELEASE OF UK HOSTAGE IN SOMALIA Judith Tebbit, abducted by Somali terrorists of the Al Shabab movement in September last year from a beach camp in Kenya, when her husband was in fact shot dead during the night time raid, has been freed and flown to Nairobi yesterday according to sources […]
Arrest turns conservation group and media against KWS CEO
ARREST TURNS MEDIA AND CONSERVATION GROUPS AGAINST KWS CEO News from Nairobi were received with some incredulity when it became known that the General Manager of Eco-Tourism Kenya, a well respected conservation and best practice organization long established in Kenya, was arrested. This apparently followed a complaint by the KWS Executive Director Dr. Julius Kipngetich […]
