See you in 2017 again as Carnivalistas from 23 countries celebrate the 2016 success

SEYCHELLES CARNIVAL – ADJOURNED TO APRIL 2017 (Posted 25th April 2016) The 1967 song of the Seekers ‘The Carnival Is Over‘ came to mind yesterday evening when at 7 pm the curtain fell over the 2016 edition of the Karnaval de Karnivals, the Carnival International de Victoria. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ZipKdI1sY) The closing ceremony concluded the Kids Carnival […]

ATQ News: Most Brazilian Children don’t Know they are Black

More news from Nigeria and the rest of West Africa, courtesy of Ikechi Uko ATQnews.com a member of Travel Media Group. This is the online platform for African Travel Quarterly (ATQ), the first Travel magazine in West Africa which solely focuses on travel and tourism issues. It started publishing offline about 10 years ago. ATQnews.com […]

Hamad International set to host Airport Council Asia Pacific 2017

HOSTING THE ACI REGIONAL ASSEMBLY BIG HONOUR FOR HAMAD INTERNATIONAL (Posted 24th April 2016) Hamad International Airport (HIA) announced yesterday that it will host the 12th Airport Council International Asia Pacific Regional Assemble Conference and Exhibition,which will be taking place in the city of Doha in 2017, bringing together aviation leaders from the entire region. […]

Seychelles Carnival – The Golden Touch

GRAND PARADE THE GRANDEST YET (Posted 24th April 2016) (The two key drivers of the Seychelles Carnival, Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St. Ange and Sherin Naiken, CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board) It was a perfect day in Victoria, Seychelles’ capital city, when the parade of the Carnival International de Victoria went underway at […]

Victoria dances to the carnival tunes

THE BEST SO FAR AS VICTORIA ERUPTS IN CARNIVAL SOUNDS (Posted 23rd April 2016) ‘This was the best opening I have seen and I have seen them all‘ did a fellow journalist say when the lights in the Stade Popiler went on again after the opening act of the 2016 Carnival International de Victoria had […]

It’s a Rhino!

A hairy bundle of Rhino hope is on the way and we need your help! This May, Ratu a Sumatran Rhino is due to give birth to one of the world’s rarest babies at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary located within the depths Indonesia’s Way Kambas National Park. We need your help to ensure the baby’s […]

Join the Legacy of the African American Heritage Art Farm

African Diaspora Tourism Explorer Preserving Our History, Our Way Magical Farm to Become Unique Lodging Retreat and Cultural Heritage Center As African American-owned farms are becoming rarer, one of the largest and oldest black-owned farms is in the state of Vermont. The Clemmons Family Farm is nestled between the Green Mountains and the Adirondack Mountains, […]

Reunion and Seychelles discuss inter-island cooperation

BILATERAL TALKS UNDERWAY BETWEEN SEYCHELLES AND REUNION (Posted 22nd April 2016) Faouzia Vitry, the Conseilliere Regionale of Reunion Island and Sophie Jasmin, the Cultural Director of the island met this morning with Minister Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture. Mme Vitry and Mme Jasmin are the Official representatives of Reunion Island […]

Mountain Dispatches from Kenya

News updates from the Mt. Kenya Trust :MOUNTAIN DISPATCHES News and highlights from the Mount Kenya Trust January – March 2016 We hit the ground running in January assisting the Mount Kenya Elephant Survey which has been funded by Disney and was organised by Hilde VanLeeuwe from the World Conservation Society. Eight teams of four […]

A Thank You from Gamewatchers Safaris!

Gamewatchers Safaris & Porini Camps voted Kenya’s Best Safari Camp Brand image by Porini Safari Camps guest Kamal Varma World Travel Awards 2016: Winner ! Gamewatchers Safaris & Porini Camps have been voted “Kenya’s Best Safari Camp Brand” The Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony of the World Travel Awards was held on Saturday 9th […]

Sauti Za Busara set to return in 2017

ZANZIBAR’S MUSIC AND ART FESTIVAL SET FOR REVIVAL NEXT YEAR (Posted 22nd April 2016) The organizers of one of Africa’s foremost music and performing arts festivals, Sauti Za Busara, have given the clearest indication yet that after a gap year, due to lack of funding and sponsorships, this grand event will make a comeback in […]

Lillian Gaitho’s weekend thoughts

WHAT ARE THE TOP SEVEN TRAVEL ESSENTIALS? READ ON TO FIND OUT WHAT LILLIAN GAITHO THINKS THOSE ARE … (Posted 22nd April 2016) Top Seven Essentials that Should Not Miss in any Traveler’s Rucksack While carrying copies of travel documents and keeping your handy bills on-body-storage make the top commandments for most travelers, there are […]

The Kampala Restaurant Week Returns

Discover Uganda’s culinary delights if you happen to visit the Pearl of Africa during the first eleven days in June this year! Check out the website of the Pearl Guide Uganda for details, or simply watch this space! This June, from 1-11th, we’ve teamed up with chefs from forty of the finest restaurants in and […]

Reunion trains local tourism professionals

PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE THE KEY TO BETTER SERVICE (Posted 22nd April 2016) 18 tourism professionals attended the wilderness cocktail on last week which is being organized every year by the IRT, short for Ile de la Reunion Tourisme. This annual B2B educational tour aims to provide a better knowledge of the local tourism offerings, which can […]

Alain St. Ange: I have a job to do at home

UNWTO SUCCESSION – A GAME OF WAIT AND SEE (Posted 21st April 2016) As the annual Seychelles Carnival, aka Carnaval International de Victoria is getting into gear – the official opening ceremony will be held tomorrow night at the Stade Popiler in the presence of President James Alix Michel – did earlier this evening the […]

Can Nairobi National Park be spared further intrusion and fragmentation?

KENYA RAILWAYS PULLS BACK FROM THE BRINK AND PROMISES A NEW ROUTING AROUND THE PARK FOR THE NEW SGR (Posted 21st April 2016) News are emerging from Nairobi that the Kenya Railways Corporation has yielded to pressure and is reviewing the planned routing around Nairobi for the new Standard Gauge Railway system, which is due […]

Heritage Week ends in the Seychelles

CELEBRATING HERITAGE – AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SEYCHELLES CULTURE (Posted 21st April 2016) Coming to the Seychelles always allows for a lot more exploration and discovery than ‘Just the Carnival‘ which in itself of course has become a brand of its own and is, no doubt, the archipelago’s most high profile event across the […]

The carnevalistas have arrived in the Seychelles

MAJOR GLOBAL CARNIVAL TROUPES ARE SET FOR SATURDAY’S PARADE IN VICTORIA (Posted 21st April 2016) The six African nations participating this year in the Seychelles Carnival, led by a large delegation from South Africa, have arrived on the main island of Mahe over the past two days and Sherin Naiken, CEO of the Seychelles Tourism […]

Bacon – Canada’s secret love

TORONTO – BRUSSELS AIRLINES LATEST DESTINATION (Posted 21st April 2016) With operations back in full swing and traffic numbers in and out of East Africa returning to pre Brussels Airport closure levels, has a recent visit to the Brussels Airlines office in Kampala shown one thing … East African travellers from Uganda and Rwanda, but […]

Africa’s tourism ministers meet in Ivory Coast

AFRICAN TOURISM MINISTERS MEETING ONGOING IN ABIDJAN (Posted 20th April 2016) Over three days (19th to 21st April) high-level tourism representatives from African countries, including 18 tourism ministers, are convening in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to discuss the challenges of the sector and the priorities for the programme of work of UNWTO in the African continent. […]

Ethiopian set to return to the Big Apple

COME JULY IT IS NEWARK HERE WE COME (Posted 20th April 2016 from the Avani Barbarons, Mahe, Seychelles) Ethiopian Airlines, one of the fastest growing and most profitable airlines in Africa will commence scheduled thrice weekly flights to New York-Newark from their hub in Addis Ababa on 03 July 2016. The flights will route via […]

Award winning business class – what is that really all about

THE REASONS BEHIND FOUR CONSECUTIVE WINS AS AFRICA’S LEADING BUSINESS CLASS (Posted 20th April 2016) Critics of Kenya’s national airline, Kenya Airways, and there are quite a few notorious ones using social media platforms to bash them often for no reason other than a personal grudge, promptly raised questions how a – in their disturbed […]

Lillian Gaitho’s thoughts on Travel and Technology

NO ONE CAN ANY LONGER AFFORD TO NEGLECT THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES (Posted 20th April 2016) Image: http://www.roomerhotelsystem.com/ At Accor Hotels, guest check-in begins two days ahead of time; with a personalized SMS reminding the guest to prepare their check-in nitty gritty for a smooth and faster process. On the morning of the check-in date, this […]

Nairobi transit becomes a trap for ivory smugglers

ANOTHER CHINESE ARRESTED AT JKIA AS ADDED SURVEILLANCE MEASURES BITE (Posted 20th April 2016) Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is increasingly becoming a trap location for ivory smugglers no matter the amount or kind of illicit loot they ship or carry. On Monday night this week yet another Chinese traveler, arriving from the Democratic Republic […]

Lillian Gaitho is checking out Nairobi’s roof top bars

A BAR WITH A VIEW MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE (Posted 20th April 2016) Lillian is back in the proverbial saddle and has started to notch up her writing output again. This week she is looking at the bar scene in Nairobi, but not just ordinary bars … bars which have a view … read on […]

Adventurous Seychelles

Adventurous Seychelles It’s true that the Seychelles is known for its tranquility, beauty and charm. But did you know that you can also experience an extreme and adventurous Seychelles? The very mountains and ocean that hold the secret to your relaxation is also the key to the adventures that await you on this magical island. […]

Ol Pejeta’s latest Wildlife and Community News

Dear Friend of Ol Pejeta: Ol Pejeta wins gold at Sustainable Tourism Awards! Ol Pejeta is an "outstanding example of how tourism can be used by conservationists to protect habitats and species and to uplift local communities" said the judges at the African Sustainable Tourism Awards as Ol Pejeta was awarded Best for Wildlife Conservation. […]

Driving African Economies through the Power of Aviation

Driving African Economies through the Power of Aviation Aviation in National Economic Planning, Public-Private Partnerships and Funding Aviation main focus of IATA’s Aviation Day Africa Conference Agenda The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the theme for the 2016 Aviation Day Africa (Abuja, Nigeria, May 23 – May 24, 2016): "Driving African Economies through the […]