Hong Kong to destroy 28 tonnes of seized ivory after advisers endorse plan
Good news was received from one of the best sources available, Melissa Groo of ElephantNews, who regularly shares her global ‘media finds’ with me and many other conservation minded individuals and organizations around the world. This is an opportunity at last to recognize Melissa’s tireless efforts and work at ElephantNews.org from where she highlights on […]
Lake Victoria island for sale
EVER WANTED TO OWN AN ISLAND ON LAKE VICTORIA? (Posted 25th January 2014) Many of the visitors I met over the years who came to Uganda to find investment opportunities, or simply to live or retire in the Pearl of Africa, expressed their desire to own an island on Lake Victoria, but for most that […]
Africa must sort out Visa requirements and air connections says Dr. Taleb Rifai
UNWTO NAMES VISA AND AIR CONNECTIVITY AS KEY ISSUES TO GROW AFRICAN TOURISM (Posted 25th January 2014) UNWTO Secretary General Dr. Taleb Rifai has on the occasion of FITUR and INVESTOUR in Madrid taken the opportunity to once again speak to the assembled tourism ministers from the African continent who had come to lead their […]
Atta News Roundup 14th – 24th January
And hot on the heels of the Volcanoes news comes the news update from Atta in London, giving a broad overview of events and developments in Africa, covering aviation, hospitality, travel and conservation news – Enjoy! Atta News Roundup 14th – 24th January Atta News Atta’s Photography Competition – List of entries available:We are, […]
New VSPT Projects – Soap and Tea Time!
As part of sharing sectoral news, this news flash reached me yesterday from Volcanoes Safaris and is worth sharing with my readers. Enjoy! UG Tel: +256 (0) 414 346 464/5 Mail: vsptstaff AboutVirungaKyamburaBwindiGahingaSupportContact Happy New Year from the VSPT! 2013 was full of success stories for us, mostly centred on the Batwa community in Mount […]
Kenya government finally wakes up to tourism sector problems
KENYA GOVERNMENT REACTS TO TOURISM STAKEHOLDER CONCERNS (Posted 25th January 2014) Earlier in the week news broke that President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto will be carrying out a performance review for each of their cabinet secretaries – formerly known as ministers – in a few months after the first full year in […]
FastJet expands GDS presence to the key 7 systems
FASTJET EXPANDS GDS PRESENCE TO 7 KEY SYSTEMS (Posted 24th January 2014) If declared intent is to be followed by purpose and harbinger of things to come, the announcement by FastJet that they are now ‘live’ on the 7 most important global reservation and flight information systems surely must be one of those eye openers. […]
Two more poachers shot dead in Kenya
TWO MORE POACHERS GUNNED DOWN AS WAR ON POACHING GAINS MOMENTUM (Posted 24th January 2014) Two suspected poachers were shot dead in an exchange of fire with game rangers at Kenya’s Meru National Park, it was learned overnight. With the new wildlife law now in effect after formally publishing it in the government owned Kenya […]
JKIA’s temporary terminal to be put up by specialised German company
KENYA AIRPORT AUTHORITY SIGNS CONTRACT FOR ‘TEMPORARY TERMINAL’ (Posted 24th January 2014) News broke yesterday that the Kenya Airport Authority has finally awarded the tender for the temporary terminal at JKIA when it signed a contract with German company Roeder HTS. The new temporary terminal, long talked about but finally pursued with some added vigour […]
It is ‘Bon Appetite’ in Nairobi as the ‘Restaurant Week’ is about to kick off
NAIROBI RESTAURANT WEEK LAUNCHES JANUARY 30TH (Posted 24th January 2014) Following hot on the heels of the French Food Festival at the Nairobi Serena Hotel will aficionados of good food have more reason to go out and indulge as the Nairobi Restaurant week will kick off on the 30th of January, then giving 8 days […]
IBTM launches online registration to select 50 lucky hosted buyers for Cape Town event
AFRICA WEEK’S HOSTED BUYER REGISTRATION FOR IBTM OPENS ON WEB (Posted 24th January 2014) The much awaited inaugural Incentives | Business | Travel & Meetings Expo which will take place in Cape Town as part of the Africa Travel Week between 28th and 30th of April, has now launched the online registration of hosted buyers […]
Two Ugandan entries compete for top prize in Atta’s inaugural photo competition
ATTA LAUNCHES FIRST EVER AFRICA PHOTO COMPETITION (Posted 24th January 2014) The London based Africa Travel and Tourism Association – membership is considered quintessential for Africa’s leading hospitality and safari businesses – has announced the launch of their first ever photographic competition, featuring eye candy highlights from across the African continent. Launched earlier this week, […]
Rwanda’s secret of success – vision, discipline and resilience
RWANDA’S PRESENCE AT WEST AFRICAN BUSINESS FAIRS ‘VITAL TO GROW TRADE AND TOURISM’ (Posted 23rd January 2014) When the Rwandan business community participate in the upcoming regional trade fair in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, it will be one of several they will attend across the year in West Africa. Aided by regular flights from national […]
Seychelles a model for African economies
SEYCHELLES GETS WORLD BANK NOD OF APPROVAL (Posted 23rd January 2014) Five years, and a bit, after the Bretton Woods institutions left the Seychelles government with little choice but to implement major structural reforms of how the archipelago’s economy was run, are the results now not only felt across the islands, where economic opportunities have […]
Valentine’s Day turns into big business even in East Africa
VALENTINE’S DAY BECOMING A MAJOR FACTOR FOR EAST AFRICA’S TRAVEL INDUSTRY (Posted 23rd January 2014) Hotels, resorts, safari lodges, restaurants and now airlines too are trying to cash in on Valentine’s Day celebrations this year, more so as the big day falls on a Friday, making it a perfect mini getaway weekend for lovers. Kenya […]
Rwanda promotes her tourism attractions in Holland
RWANDA EXCELS AT UTRECHT TOURISM FAIR (Posted 22nd January 2014) Several companies from The Land of a Thousand Hills were participating in the Utrecht tourism trade show where they were able to showcase Rwanda’s tourism attractions to some 140.000 show visitors, many of whom flocked to the Rwandan stand to learn more about the country, […]
Planned Papal visit thought to spur interest in Uganda’s pilgrimage tourism
UGANDA EXPECTS POPE FRANCIS FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MARTYRS’ CANONIZATION (Posted 22nd January 2014) Details are emerging that Pope Francis will indeed visit Uganda, as several of his predecessors have done over the past decades, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the canonization of the Ugandan martyrs in October this year. Pope Paul VI on […]
KAA set to demolish burned out arrivals building
JKIA ARRIVALS BUILDING TO BE DEMOLISHED (Posted 22nd January 2014) Details are emerging of plans by the Kenya Airport Authority to demolish the burned out arrivals building at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, which suffered irreparable damage during a major fire in August last year. KAA invited tenders earlier this week, seeking to contract a suitably […]
Kenya Ports Authority taking a fresh look at plans for a cruise ship terminal
PLANS FOR DEDICATED CRUISE SHIP TERMINAL BACK ON FOR MOMBASA PORT (Posted 22nd January 2014) The Kenya Ports Authority has revived plans for a dedicated cruise ship terminal in Mombasa, aimed at tapping into the revival of cruise ship tourism in the Indian Ocean area off the African coast, following the defeat – by and […]
Qatar Airways scoops more ‘Best’ awards for their business class
QATAR AIRWAYS’ BUSINESS CLASS RATED TOPS BY BUSINESS TRAVELLER USA AWARDS (Posted 22nd January 2014) Travellers from Eastern Africa, spoiled by the choices they have today when it comes to air travel, will see yet another box ticked against the name of Qatar Airways in addition to being rated for several years now by Skytrax […]
Precision Air signs codeshare with Air Uganda for DAR – JRO – EBB
PRECISION AIR AND AIR UGANDA SIGN CODESHARE FOR ENTEBBE – DAR ROUTE (Posted 21st January 2014) Information was received yesterday that Precision Air and Air Uganda have signed a code share deal, which will see the two airlines book and sell each others’ tickets and widen the choice of departures and destinations for both carriers. […]
JKIA’s Terminal Four set to feature big name in global fast food
BIG FAST FOOD NAME MAY BE HEADING TO JKIA AS KAA INVITES TENDERS FROM GLOBAL BRANDS (Posted 21st January 2014) The Kenya Airport Authority has invited tenders from international fast food brands to submit bids ahead of the opening of the new Terminal 4 which is expected to open in a few months time. According […]
Jane Goodall ranks Uganda’s Ngamba Island as THE BEST
JANE GOODALL CALLS NGAMBA ISLAND AFRICA’S BEST SANCTUARY (Posted 21st January 2014) Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Peace Ambassador, on her 80th birthday, while visiting Ngamba, pronounced Uganda’s sole chimpanzee refuge as the best there is, not a mean feat considering that there are another 28 such primate sanctuaries on […]
African arrivals in 2013 grow by 3 million to 56 overall
AFRICA’S SHARE IN GLOBAL TOURISM MOVEMENTS RISES TO 56 MILLION ARRIVALS (Posted 21st January 2014) Arrivals to Africa in 2013 have grown by an average of 6 percent to 56 million overall an increase in real numbers by 3 million, largely aided by a gradual recovery in North Africa, where political unrest had depressed tourist […]
GeoLodges – 20 years and counting
GEOLODGES CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF SUPERB HOSPITALITY WITH SPECIAL OFFERS (Posted 21st January 2014) 20 years and counting it is for what is today known as GeoLodges Uganda, a boutique lodge operation which took off – and it seems like yesterday really – in 1994 with their first property on the River Nile just outside […]
Kenya Airways launches own market blitz with ‘Big Annual Sale’
KENYA AIRWAYS RESPONDS TO COMPETITORS SALES FLURRY WITH OWN MARKET BLITZ (Posted 21st January 2014) When some of the Gulf’s leading airlines launched their early new year sales campaigns, promoting festivals and generally flooding the market with special fares, the usual suspects were swift in lambasting Kenya Airways – any reason apparently will do for […]
Qatar Airways starts 2014 with 3 day special sale action
QATAR AIRWAYS HITS MARKET WITH UP TO 30 PERCENT FARE REBATES (Posted 20th January 2014) Qatar Airways entered the new year in a fighting mood, offering up to 30 percent rebates on economy and business class fares, countering the current market offensive by closest rivals Emirates which is presently blitzing the East African markets with […]
Tanzania gets new tourism minister amid reports of rhino poaching and robbery of tourists
NYALANDU APPOINTED MINISTER AS RHINO IS POACHED AND TOURISTS ARE ROBBED (Posted 19th January 2014) The first order of business for newly appointed Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu, now elevated from Deputy Minister to a full Cabinet Minister, will have to be dealing with the disturbing news from Arusha, that an Eastern Black Rhino was killed late […]
Meet the Seychelles at FITUR / Madrid
SEYCHELLES MARKETING JUGGERNAUT RESUMES AT FITUR (Posted 20th January 2014) The new year for the Seychelles marketing team will start with an appearance at FITUR which opens in Madrid on January 22nd and runs until 26th. None other than Minister for Tourism and Culture, Alain St. Ange, will lead the Seychelles’ delegation to Madrid where […]
Shanghai next for Ethiopian Airlines
ETHIOPIAN SET FOR DAILY SHANGHAI FLIGHTS (Posted 19th January 2014) Ethiopian Airlines will commence daily flights from Addis Ababa to Shanghai as Africa’s largest airline seeks to capitalize from increased passenger and cargo traffic from Africa to China and vice versa. ET was a pioneer in flying to China with flights to Beijing before progressively […]
