Conservation Action Trust South Africa speaks out on the rhino controversy

Written by Don Pinnock, this is an article worth sharing. Horn of contention Rhino economics is a hotly contested field, but a new international research report says that those who wish to open trade in horn could be leading rhinos to destruction. By Don Pinnock. Rhinos have horns that are useful to rhinos alone. As […]

Reunion hosts SNAV Tourism Conference

7TH SNAV MEETING IN PROGRESS ON THE ILE DE LA REUNION (Posted 08th February 2014) For the past three days, and until tomorrow, Sunday 09th of February, will over 300 delegates, who have assembled on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, discuss all matters related to tourism, a backbone of the island’s economy. The […]

Sauti Za Busara 2014 – Five Days and counting

SAUTI ZA BUSARA – FIVE DAYS TO GO (Posted 08th February 2014) When a reader wrote to me after my last article about Sauti Za Busara and said ‘You make too much hype about that concert’ I responded ‘There cannot be enough hype about what has become Africa’s foremost festival of music, performing arts and […]

Burundi Tourism Minister quits

Three Burundi Minsters quit coalition bringing government to verge of collapse(Posted 07th February 2014) Victoire Ndikumana, Minister of Posts, Commerce, Industry and Tourism resigned from government on Wednesday only one day after Communal Development Minister Jean-Claude Ndihokubwayo and Information, Communication, Telecommunications and Parliament Relations Minister Leocadie Nihazi had quit their ministerial posts. The resignation of […]

Kenya / Tanzania joint elephant census underway

TSAVO / MKOMANZI WILDLIFE CENSUS TO COST 22 MILLION KENYA SHILLINGS (Posted 07th February 2014) An elephant population survey is now underway in the transboundary ecosystem of Tsavo West National Park, the Taita Hills Game Reserve and the Mkomanzi National Park across the border in Tanzania. This survey also affirms to ongoing close partnership and […]

Nairobi is ‘jazzing it’

NAIROBI’S INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL JUST TWO WEEKS AWAY (Posted 07th February 2014) Safaricom, Kenya’s leading mobile communications company, will once again be the main sponsor of this now annual event, when Jazz comes to Kenya. Participants come of course from within Kenya, where Jazz has become immensely popular in recent years but also from further […]

News from Porini Safari Camps

More news from some of East Africa’s finest … Featured Article – A hidden gem in bustling Nairobi by Aleema Noormohamed ( Marketing Executive, Porini Safari Camps) Born in Canada, bred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and having lived in Kenya for the last 20 years, travel is in my blood. I made a […]

UCOTA February E-Newsletter

Enjoy the latest edition of UCOTA’s monthly newsletter! Uganda Community Tourism Association E-newsletter – February 2014 Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Like us on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend The Uganda Community Tourism Association’s mission is to spearhead sustainable community-based tourism in collaboration with stakeholders, aiming […]

Reunion Tourism welcomes new partners

NEW PARTNERS JOIN ILE DE LA REUNION TOURISM (Posted 07th February 2014) The Reunion Tourism Office central reservation department has yesterday welcomed new service providers to their extensive list of existing partners, affirming that tourism remains a growth sector on this French Indian Ocean island. New are the Villa Oté, a colonial style guest house […]

UWA ranger killed in exchange of fire with poachers

UGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY MOURNS NICHOLAS MBARAGA AHEBWA (Posted 06th February 2014) The board, management and staff of Uganda Wildlife Authority are mourning for ranger Nicholas Mbaraga Ahebwa, who was killed earlier this week in a shootout with suspected poachers in the Semliki Toro Game Reserve. Nicholas was on patrol with other rangers when the poachers […]

LAM confirms order for 3 B737-700NG

LAM MOZAMBIQUE ANNOUNCES ORDER FOR THREE B737-700NG’S (Posted 06th February 2014) Mozambique’s national airline LAM announced yesterday the firm purchase of three Boeing B737-700NG aircraft with an option for another three. The deal is worth about 228 million US Dollars if the three options are converted into firm orders. The new aircrafts, no delivery dates […]

Qatar Airways liveried new A350XWB lands at new HIA airport in Doha

QATAR AIRWAYS WELCOMES FIRST A350 ARRIVAL IN DOHA (Posted 06th February 2014) Qatar Airways, the launch customer for the world’s latest high performance wide bodied plane, yesterday welcomed the first ever arrival of this aircraft type at their new hub at Doha’s Hamad International Airport, where it was showcased to Qatari government officials, management, staff […]

Low fine for poaching magistrate in trouble as Kenya’s DPP appeals sentence

1 MILLION SHILLINGS FINE APPEALED, CHINESE MAN REARRESTED WHILE TRYING TO FLEE (Posted 06th February 2014) A report a few days ago, that one Zhang Chunsheng was convicted in a magistrates court of one count only, after pleading guilty to several charges brought against him, saw prompt results as an outcry of disgust and outrage […]

Emirates 5 years of A380 flights – a journey of discovery

EMIRATES AND THE A380 – 5 GIANT YEARS OF A GIANT IN THE SKY (Posted 06th February 2014) Ugandans as well as Kenyans and Tanzanians, connected to the world by Emirates, can now look back at 5 years of being able to fly from Dubai to their final destination with the Airbus A380, the largest […]

RwandAir’s latest ‘bird’ is soon ready to fly home

RWANDAIR’S BRAND NEW BOMBARDIER Q400 IS TAKING SHAPE (Posted 05th February 2014) RwandAir’s latest acquisition, due for delivery within a month from now, is steadily gaining ‘shape’ as the outfitting of the cabin and the installation of the cockpit, engines and systems is slowly nearing completion. This is the first owned Bombardier Q400 of RwandAir […]

Sharp growth brings with it congestion and frustration at Entebbe International Airport

ENTEBBE PASSENGER GROWTH A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD (Posted 05th February 2014) Details about the passenger growth at Entebbe International Airport have now been released by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority which besides being regulator are also owner and operator of Uganda’s main international airport. During 2013 an increase in passengers of 8.5 percent was recorded, […]

IRT’s China workshop paves the way for better destination marketing

REUNION TOURISM TARGETS CHINESE MARKET (Posted 05th February 2014) IRT, in full Ile de la Reunion Tourism, on Monday held a workshop session at their offices with Prof. Dr. Arlt, Founder and Director of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, to gain insight into the do’s and don’ts when marketing the island to the Chinese […]

Drone trials over Ol Pejeta successful, paving the way for regular UAV flights

UAV TRIALS OVER OL PEJETA PREPARE THE WAY FOR FULL TIME AERIAL SURVEILLANCE (Posted 05th February 2014) Feedback from the trial flights of a prototype UAV, commonly called a drone, over the sprawling Ol Pejeta Conservancy is very encouraging it was learned, suggesting that aerial surveillance will later this year become a regular feature in […]

Monthly Trumpet – January 2014

And a final shared newsletter for today …Save the Elephant, a noble cause worth supporting web version | tell a friend | donate A Mighty Population Falls Tanzania revealed the shocking results of an aerial census in the Selous Game Reserve last month. Once host to Africa’s second largest elephant population, estimated elephant numbers have […]

Reader Survey and diary events

And one more for good measure tonight, this one from the Travel Africa Magazine, a selection of the arguably best print magazines features on Africa, and nothing but Africa. Enjoy! Shamwari February 2014 For readers of Travel Africa magazine Contact Us Gecko Publishing The Dovecote Little Baldon Oxford OX44 9PU Tel +44 1844 278883 Email […]

Stefano & Liz at Joy’s Camp!

Here comes another shared newsletter, this one from Cheli & Peacock’s Liz and Stefano – enjoy reading what those two have been up to over the past weeks … THE C&P PORTFOLIO ~ Kenya’s Award Winning Boutique Safari Camps & Lodges ~ JOY AT JOY’S! Dear friends, We are just wallowing in fun – based […]

Happy New Year; January updates

Chimpanzee News from Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Trust Uganda January 2014 Bulletin Greetings! We hope this year has started off in a great way. We at Chimpanzee Trust Uganda and Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary are ready to take it on and hope to provide the best welfare to the chimpanzees in our care. We wish you […]

Abraham’s People – The Story of the man who built a Kenyan Dynasty

ABRAHAM’S PEOPLE – A KENYAN DYNASTY (Posted 05th February 2014) Books covering Kenya’s pre- and post independence past have always managed to raise keen interest, both in Kenya itself as well as abroad and while many books were written about more flamboyant characters, often adding a fair amount of fiction to meet ‘expectations’ by readers, […]

Preliminary results notification

News from the InterContinental Hotel Group OIHG Preliminary results notification News Release 4 February 2014 Preliminary Results Notification We will announce our Preliminary Results to 31 December 2013 on 18 February 2014, at 07.00am (GMT). The link to the full news release will be emailed to you once the announcement has been made. Related information: […]

HOSEA 2014 adds more partners to boost event’s support basis

KENYA HOSPITALITY TRADE FAIR AND HOSEA 2014 PARTNER WITH PERAK (Posted 04th February 2014)   The Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurants Association of Kenya, in short PERAK, has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the organizers of this year’s Kenya Hospitality Trade Fair and the concurrent symposium ‘Hotel Summit East Africa 2014’. Slujan Event’s Director […]

Is self isolation the answer to revive Mauritius tourism?

MTPA COMES UNDER INCREASING PRESSURE AS STAKEHOLDERS TAKE THEIR GRIEVANCES INTO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN (Posted 04th February 2014) ‘The present tourism leadership at MTPA will leave Mauritius tourism as dead as a Dodo’ concluded one regular source from Port Louis, drawing the parallel to the long extinct bird Mauritius was once home to before it […]

Chaine de Rotisseurs comes to the Seychelles

LE MERIDIEN FISHERMAN’S COVE TO HOST INAUGURAL CHAINE DE ROTISSEURS DINNER (Posted 04th February 2014) Good culinary news reached overnight from Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, confirming the ‘arrival’ of the global ‘Chaine de Rotisseurs’ on the archipelago. It is understood that the Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove in Bel Ombre was selected to host […]

New bridge over River Kagera to link Rwanda and Tanzania

NEW BRIDGE AND BORDER POST BETWEEN RWANDA AND TANZANIA TO IMPROVE TRADE AND TRAVEL (Posted 04th February 2014) Rwanda and Eastern neighbours Tanzania are jointly progressing work on a new bridge over the Kagera River at Rusumo, which when completed in late 2014 will replace the old single lane bridge and allow larger cargo volumes […]

Say no to religious fanatics coast tourism stakeholders urge Mombasa

RELIGIOUS FANATICS IS NOT WHAT COAST TOURISM NEEDS RIGHT NOW (Posted 03rd February 2014) Reports from Mombasa overnight talk of some serious trouble at two mosques in Mombasa, known for their agitation if not outright indoctrination and radicalization of gullible young people. A police officer died and another was stabbed in the neck when security […]

John Kariuki appointed Chairman of Sarova Hotels

SAROVA HOTELS PRESENT JOHN KARIUKI AS NEW BOARD CHAIRMAN (Posted 03rd February 2014) The Board of Directors of Sarova Hotels, left without a substantive Chairman since the passing of ‘Channi Vohra’ in mid October last year, has over the weekend announced the appointment of John Kariuki as the new Chairman of the company. John, well […]