38 years and counting as Kenya Airways keeps growing
HAPPY 38TH BIRTHDAY TO THE PRIDE OF AFRICA (Posted 28th January 2015) As Kenya Airways’ turns 38, many of the older generation will remember how it all started. First there was East African Airways, the combined national airline of the then East African Community comprising Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. A birthday celebration is not the […]
No 318 Wildlife Trade News 28th January 2015
Nature Alert has resumed your daily dose of bad news 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 …………………… Ivory mafia: how criminal gangs are killing Africa’s elephants. extract: "There hasn’t been a single kingpin prosecuted,” […]
Lilian Gaitho’s take on the latest UNWTO global travel figures
Another guest post from Lilian Gaitho, who in her own words ‘is on the roll’ … The Role of E-Commerce in the Kenyan Hotel Industry A report by World Travel Market predicts mobile channels are expected to account for 30% of online travel value sales by 2017. At the same time, United Nations World Tourism […]
Promoting travel to Reunion by showcasing the island’s Creole food creations
IT IS ALL ABOUT FOOD AS REUNION HEADS TO PARIS FOR ‘GASTRONOMY OVERSEAS SHOW’ (Posted 28th January 2015) Reunion is heading to Paris for the inaugural food show which will allow the island, a French region in the deep of the Indian Ocean, to present mainland France with the unique Creole cuisine, colourful, tasty and […]
Dubai DXB becomes the world’s busiest international airport
DUBAI’S SUCCESS A LESSON FOR AFRICA AND BRITAIN (Posted 28th January 2015) Dubai International Airport, home hub to both Emirates and flydubai, has according to data seen overtaken London’s Heathrow Airport as the world’s largest international airport. Total passenger numbers came close to 70.5 million passengers, up by over 6 percent from 2013. Notably, and […]
Africa performs poorly in 2014 with 56 million arrivals compared with 1.138 billion worldwide
The United Nation World Tourism Organization, in short UNWTO, has yesterday released the information about travel trends in 2014, confirming that 1.138 billion people travelled, an increase of 4.7 percent. Africa recorded a below average increase of only 2 percent, largely fueled by growing demand once again for Egypt and across Northern Africa, with arrival […]
Lillian Gaitho takes a look at city tourism in East Africa
This is part one of Lillian’s feature series on short trips visiting the capitals and big cities across East Africa. Demystifying Kenya’s Capital: Top 3 Things to do in Nairobi Once fondly referred to as the Green City in the Sun, Nairobi is the cosmopolitan capital of Kenya-a key player in East Africa’s economy. The […]
News from Gamewatchers Safaris
The first news update in 2015 from Gamewatchers Safaris makes interesting reading again … Gamewatchers Safaris January 2015 Greetings Porini Enthusiast! 2014 is gone and 2015 is here We hope your festive season was all in gear With the falling snow, and continuous carols Home-cooked meals with cinnamon rolls And for those who instead had […]
Reunion Tourism bound for SATTE 2015 in New Dehli
REUNION TOURISM COUNT ON MORE VISITORS FROM INDIA (Posted 27th January 2015) The Indian market has become increasingly important for Reunion’s hospitality and tourism businesses and the lifting last year of a number of Visa rules, amounting to a Visa waiver for bone fide tourists, has immediately boosted visitor numbers. While still a small segment […]
Gulf Airlines – growing fleets, more destinations, more career opportunities
GULF AIRLINES BEGIN NEW RECRUITMENT DRIVES (Posted 27th January 2015) All three leading Gulf carriers, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad, will begin fresh recruitment drives over the next couple of weeks, focusing on India, Sri Lanka, Australia, South America, parts of Europe and of course Africa. Announcements on the respective company websites – found by […]
President Michel announces changes to his cabinet but leaves the tourism portfolio untouched
SEYCHELLES GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE SEES CLIMATE CHANGE COME TO CABINET (Posted 26th January 2015) ‘Seychelles – Another World’ earlier today gained an added meaning when President James Alix Michel, as he announced a reshuffle of his government, added Climate Change to the portfolio of Environment and Energy, with the Ministerial post held by Didier Dogley. The […]
Air Seychelles now reaches a dozen European destinations through code share arrangements
AIR SEYCHELLES WIDENS EUROPEAN REACH WITH ADDED CODE SHARE AGREEMENTS (Posted 26th January 2015) Air Seychelles, the Skytrax’ four star national airline of the archipelago, earlier today announced the signing of additional code share arrangements to expand their reach into Europe. New destinations covered are Athens and Belgrade, both destinations served by Etihad which is […]
Elephant News
This is a reproduction of an article just received from Melissa Groo of Elephant News (www.savetheelephants.org) which highlights the economic losses for Tanzania in the medium and long terms as a result of the industrial scale poaching over the past few years in the Selous Game Reserve. The article is reproduced here unedited, i.e. spelling […]
Airline awards and rankings – just how much do those matter when passengers decide whom to fly with
RANKINGS AND RATINGS – THE CHASE FOR HONOURS IN 2015 HAS STARTED (Posted 26th January 2015) Skytrax’ rankings, arguably the market leader in airline and airport reviews for the global aviation community, are no doubt the most sought after accolades and awards any airline could wish for. That said, there are other ranking and rating […]
When only the best is good enough …
LOOKING FOR THE BEST ECONOMY CLASS EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD? READ ON! (Posted 26th January 2015) A recent survey published by SKIFT, incidentally the day after the commercial flight launch of Qatar Airways’ state of the art Airbus A350XWB – more about that later – named the airline’s long haul economy class travel experience as […]
New aircraft boosts Kenya Airways’ fleet
KENYA AIRWAYS TAKES DELIVERY OF ANOTHER B737-800NG (Posted 25th January 2015) Kenya Airways yesterday received the third of an order of 5 new B737-800NG SkyInterior aircraft, boosting the airline’s fleet and adding much needed capacity on their regional and continental routes. Over the next few months will Kenya Airways also add the remaining three B787-8 […]
Djibouti’s President lays foundation stones for two new airports
NOT JUST ONE BUT TWO NEW AIRPORTS FOR DJIBOUTI (Posted 25th January 2015) Djibouti’s President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh two days ago laid the foundation stones for two new airports aimed to boost the infrastructure and connectivity of the country. The two new airports will be built at an estimated cost of about 600 million US […]
05th of February – D-Day part one
KENYA AND TANZANIA AGREE TO MEET ON FEBRUARY 05TH (Posted 24th January 2015) Following recent ‘countermeasures’, taken in December last year when Kenyan authorities stopped Tanzanian registered tour vehicles from entering the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was a meeting between the two countries’ tourism ministers convened last week to attempt resolve the long simmering row […]
Guests interests come first as this camp follows the migration in the Serengeti
THE SAME CAMP IN THREE LOCATIONS – THE SECRET OF KEEPING SAFARI CLIENTS HAPPY (Posted 24th January 2015) The all new Serengeti Explorer Camp, not just renovated but entirely re-invented, features only 10 tents, two of them very large family tents to offer the intimacy of a big game safari like in the olden days. […]
It is freedom in Africa for lionesses Maggie and Sonja
LIONESSES FLY KENYA AIRWAYS TO THEIR NEW HOME IN SOUTH AFRICA (Posted 24th January 2015) While not exactly able to enjoy the services of, according to the World Travel Awards, Africa’s best business class, strapped into the flatbed seats and pampered by the cabin crew on the inaugural B787 Dreamliner flight from London to Nairobi […]
More controversy erupts over plans to ‘harvest sand’ off the South coast beaches
INNOCENT OMISSION OR ILL INTENT – DIANI RESIDENTS ASK SEARCHING QUESTIONS (Posted 24th January 2015) Members of the South Coast Residents Association, a civic platform where both businesses and individual residents of the on- and off beach locations south of Mombasa meet, are furious about the tactics employed by the Kenya Maritime Authority to keep […]
Vanilla Island cooperation makes new flights from Reunion to China possible
NEW FLIGHT LINK WITH GUANGZHOU TO BOOST REUNION TOURISM (Posted 24th January 2015) The close cooperation between members of the Vanilla Island organization members has brought yet more positive results for Reunion Tourism. An announcement made yesterday confirmed that a new codeshare agreement was signed between Air Austral, the home airline of Reunion, and Air […]
Uganda’s security operatives seize a ton of ivory
STOLEN IVORY NABBED IN ENTEBBE (Posted 24th January 2014) When some months ago the theft of a substantial quantity of ivory from the Uganda Wildlife Authority strongroom was reported here, reactions were swift to call for a comprehensive investigation, spurred by President Museveni taking an interest and making reference in his opening address to the […]
Looking for a top position in one of Uganda’s leading conservation NGO’s? Here is your chance!
OPPORTUNITY: GENERAL MANAGER, UGANDA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION (Kampala) on 23 January 2015. Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF), a Registered UK Charity, seeks a General Business Manager to lead its Ugandan not-for-profit operational arm, Uganda Conservation (U) Ltd (UCU). The position will be based in Kampala, Uganda with a minimum term commitment of 3 years (subject to satisfactory […]
Lusaka will be RwandAir’s 17th destination
RWANDAIR CONFIRMS LAUNCH OF LUSAKA FLIGHTS (Posted 23rd January 2015) Rwanda’s national airline has just confirmed that come 29th of March they will launch their 17th destination, Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. The airline will fly three times a week from Kigali to Lusaka, traffic days still to be confirmed, in conjunction with their […]
Arriving soon in Addis Ababa – Ethiopian’s Dreamliner #11
ETHIOPIAN GEARS UP FOR DREAMLINER NUMBER 11 (Posted 23rd January 2015) Ethiopian Airlines is set to take delivery of their 11th B787-8 Dreamliner before the end of January, it was learnt yesterday. The aircraft with the manufacturers’ serial number MSN 36111, according to information sourced, took to the air for the first time on the […]
Combine Kenya’s top three forex earners for an experience on the wild side
TEA ON THE WILD SIDE (Posted 23rd January 2015) The Kenya Wildlife Services Club House at the Nairobi National Park will be the unusual setting this weekend for tea and coffee aficionados to meet and sample some unusual brands, according to a regular source in Kenya’s capital. ‘You know all about our challenges to market […]
Diani based Baobab Resort captures German quality award
BAOBAB RESORT CLINCHES AWARD (Posted 23rd January 2015) Baobab Beach Resort and Spa yesterday announced that they have been awarded the prestigious ‘HolidayCheck Award 2015’. The award, according to additional information received, is based on feedback from over 1 million reviews and includes several core criteria, including a recommendation rate of over 90% and a […]
Another major airline moves into JKIA’s new Terminal 1A
KLM MOVES TO TERMINAL 1A (Posted 23rd January 2015) KLM has completed their move from the former Unit 2, now Terminal 1C to the brand new Terminal 1A, following partner airline Kenya Airways which had started the migration last year and progressively shifted all their regional and international departures to their new ‘home’. The switchover […]
Ol Pejeta The best 14 moments of 2014
Enjoy those golden 14 moments of 2014 from the Ol Pejeta Conservancy view online | send to a friend | visit Ol Pejeta January 2015 Dear Friend of Ol Pejeta: Your support over the last year has been incredible. We thought we’d take this opportunity to pick 14 of our top moments from 2014 to […]
