British Airways announces 4th frequency to Entebbe
BRITISH AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL FLIGHT FOR ENTEBBE (Posted 06th September 2013) British Airways yesterday announced an additional frequency to Uganda to offer four weekly flights effective from 30 March 2014. The new Uganda schedule will see flights depart Terminal 5 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays at 12:20 hrs and arrive in Entebbe at 22:50 […]
Uganda signs open sky bilateral with Qatar
UGANDA SIGNS NEW OPEN SKY BILATERAL WITH QATAR (Posted 06th September 2013) Uganda has signed a far reaching new bilateral air services agreement with Qatar last week, though the information was only confirmed earlier yesterday. The new deal will give Qatar Airways literally unlimited access for their flights via Entebbe to onward destinations within Africa […]
Kenya’s National Treasury advertises for consulting services for JKIA hotel and new Mombasa bridge
NATIONAL TREASURY ADVERTISES JKIA HOTEL PROJECT AND SECOND NYALI BRIDGE Posted 05th September 2013) Kenya’s national treasury has earlier this week publicly advertised some major infrastructure projects, among them the planned hotel at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and a second bridge from the island of Mombasa to the northern mainland. Both projects, as well […]
Aviation observers stunned by level of Precision Air losses
PRECISION AIR SUFFERS UNPRECEDENTED LOSS (Posted 05th September 2013) Precision Air of Tanzania, the only publicly quoted Tanzanian airline company on the Dar es Salaam stock exchange, has reportedly posted a loss of just under 31 billion Tanzania Shillings, compared to a profit of just under 2 billion Tanzania Shillings in the previous financial year. […]
VAT on conservancy entrance fees impacts on conservation funds
VAT DECISION ROBS CONSERVATION OF MUCH NEEDED FUNDS (Posted 05th September 2013) In order to soften the massive blow the Kenyan government has dealt the country’s tourism industry by introducing a 16 percent VAT charge on a range of previously exempt tourism services, have some operators announced some short term relief for their clients by […]
Air Seychelles turnaround takes root
AIR SEYCHELLES REMAINS IN PROFIT TERRITORY (Posted 05th September 2013) When Air Seychelles a few months ago announced a profit of 1 million US Dollars, heads turned and people sat up to take notice just how miraculous a turnaround has been achieved by the company since Etihad, the national airline of Abu Dhabi came on […]
Reed Exhibitions turn to Lloyd Orr to roll out communications strategy for key Africa tourism fairs
Reed Travel Exhibitions team up with Lloyd Orr for Africa Travel Week (Posted 04th September 2013) Global leader, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) has appointed Lloyd Orr Communications, a well-known local agency that specialises in tourism and lifestyle clients, to handle the PR and communications for the launch of Africa Travel Week across the African continent. […]
Mauritius gets new airport terminal
NEW AIRPORT TERMINAL IN MAURITIUS OFFICIALLY HANDED OVER (Posted 04th August 2013) Mauritius’ international airport Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam has just taken ‘delivery’ of their brand new terminal building, which will double the capacity of the airport with an overall capacity of up to 4.5 million passengers a year. The new terminal offers an added 8 […]
Sheraton joins hand with Entebbe Sailing Club for weekend fishing fete
SHERATON MOVES TO THE ENTEBBE SAILING CLUB THIS WEEKEND (Posted 04th September 2013) The Sheraton Kampala this weekend is organizing, and catering, two events at the Entebbe Sailing Club. Under the theme ‘Do something fishy for the weekend’ the hotel will stage a Caribbean Dinner at the shores of Lake Victoria in the tranquil settings […]
Emirates prepares for inaugural flight to Stockholm to take off within the next half hour
EMIRATES INAUGURAL FLIGHT TO STOCKHOLM READY TO TAKE OFF (Posted 04th September 2013) As this article is uploaded will the check in for Emirates’ inaugural flight from Dubai to Stockholm come to a close, getting the inaugural flight ready to take off at 07.15 a.m. UAE time or 06.15 a.m. East African time. The new […]
More VAT shocks for Kenya’s tourism sector
VAT IMPLEMENTATION PILES YET MORE WORRIES ON TOURISM SECTOR (Posted 04th September 2013) Only a day after the shock news began to circulate that the Kenya Revenue Authority insisted with immediate effect to levy a 16 percent VAT on park and conservancy fees, has the tourism sector gotten yet more of the same as Serena […]
Emirates blitzes East African destination markets with incredible fare offers
EMIRATES KICKS OFF SALES PROMOTION ACROSS EASTERN AFRICA (Posted 03rd September 2013) Emirates, Dubai’s award winning national airline, has earlier this week kicked off a regional sales campaign covering Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia, aimed to attract passengers with through competitive fares and a bag of goodies thrown in for good measure like stay over […]
Eden Island gets Eden Casino
EDEN ISLAND GETS OWN CASINO (Posted 03rd September 2013) The Seychelles’ man made marina, resort and residential island, Eden Island, now has another feather in its cap after the opening last weekend of Eden Casino. Eden Island www.edenisland.sc has made the proverbial waves across the Seychelles when the idea was first floated, attracted a fair […]
KRA insists on VAT payment on conservancy and park fees
VAT ON PARK FEES MAKES TOUR PACKAGES EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE (Posted 03rd September 2013) Kenya’s tourism stakeholders are coming to terms with the insistence by the Kenya Revenue Authority to demand payment of 16 percent VAT on park and reserve fees, once again raising the cost of safari vacations at a time when the industry […]
It is open skies between Rwanda and Burundi now as other EAC members drag their feet
IT IS OPEN SKIES NOW BETWEEN RWANDA AND BURUNDI (Posted 02nd September 2013) Burundi and Rwanda last week signed a new bilateral air services agreement, replacing one which dated back into the 1970’s, which no longer served the needs of today’s requirements for airlines from the two countries. Similar to recent new BASA’s signed with […]
Coastal resorts in Kenya decry low occupancies amid calls for more aggressive marketing
KENYA COAST STRUGGLING TO REGAIN MARKET SHARE AND RAISE OCCUPANCIES (Posted 02nd September 2013) South coast hoteliers are pondering their next move, after the August occupancies have remained depressed across the board and hard decision now need to be made by some resorts where occupancies are even further below average. August is ordinarily part of […]
Rwanda’s women in tourism – Meet Le Bamboo Gorilla Lodge’s Jacky Gatera
THE STORY OF JACKIE M. GATERA OF ‘LA BAMBOU GORILLA LODGE’ (Posted 01st September 2013) (Jacky, seen here with Mt. Sabinyo in the background) Recent trips to the Land of a Thousand Hills once again brought me face to face with the many developments which have marked Rwanda’s march towards economic progress over the past […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region, First edition September 2013
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 You can get your daily news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome or join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also ‘cross load’. Read […]
Make a date with Arusha’s Safari Marathon on 08th September
ARUSHA’S SAFARI MARATHON TO BENEFIT TOURISM (Posted 31st August 2013) This year’s Safari Marathon will be the fourth edition of what has become an annual and well attended event. For many still remembering the Mt. Meru Marathon, now fading away in people’s recollection, the Safari Marathon has filled a huge gap left by the initial […]
Ethiopian leases 3 more B787’s while considering an additional order
ETHIOPIAN SET TO ORDER MORE DREAMLINERS (Posted 31st August 2013) Information was confirmed by a source in Addis Ababa that Ethiopian Airlines, presently already having 5 B787 Dreamliners’ on their fleet and 5 more in the delivery pipeline from an order placed years ago as Boeing’s African launch partner, has committed to lease a further […]
Zambia Tourism prepares to visit the Seychelles
ZAMBIA HEADING TO SEYCHELLES TO PUT LIVE INTO MOU (Posted 31st August 2013) The recently signed Memorandum of Understanding for closer cooperation in all matters concerning tourism, between Zambia and the Seychelles, will be filled with more life and concretized in coming weeks as a delegation from Lusaka is expected in Victoria for a bilateral […]
Nominations are out for Good Safari Guide Awards 2014
GOOD SAFARI GUIDE RELEASES LISTINGS OF FINALISTS FOR 2014 (Posted 31st August 2013) An extensive listing of nominees for the next round of the ‘Good Safari Guide’ awards is now out with lots of familiar names as well as new ones seeking to have their fame spread among those ever keen to find the best […]
St. Ange hits the ground running by meeting Caribbean counterparts
MINISTER ST. ANGE HITS THE GROUND RUNNING (Posted 31st August 2013) No sooner was Seychelles’ Minister for Tourism and Culture, Alain St. Ange, elected to the UNWTO Executive Committee, did he take advantage of the presence of tourism ministers from the Caribbean region, to discuss closer cooperation between their group, the Caribbean Tourism Organization and […]
Kigali launches new city transport system today
NEW TRANSPORT SYSTEM FOR KIGALI LAUNCHES TODAY (Posted 30th August 2013) The City of Kigali will today launch their new public transport system. Three tender winning transport companies will operate their busses across four different ‘zones’ spread over the city while the central business district is the only area accessed by all bus companies. The […]
Seychelles News Briefs
SEYCHELLES NEWS BRIEFS (Posted 30th August 2013) The Seychelles’ first privately owned and operated FM radio station, Pure FM, will take this morning to the airwaves across the main island of Mahe, across Praslin, La Digue and some of the inner islands. Broadcasting on a 24 / 7 basis the new station will use frequencies […]
FastJet set to add Songwe as fourth Tanzanian mainland destination
FASTJET ANNOUNCES PLANS TO FLY TO SONGWE (Posted 30th August 2013) FastJet has earlier this week announced plans to fly, from November onwards, to Mbeya’s newly developed Songwe Airport (see previous articles on this subject), located some 25 kilometres outside the city. After Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza and Zanzibar will Songwe be the fifth […]
Passport free travel to become reality between Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya for citizens
PRESIDENTS AFFIRM NEW TRAVEL REGIME FOR JANUARY 2014 (Posted 30th August 2013) Host president Uhuru Kenyatta and his guests from Uganda and Rwanda, presidents Museveni and Kagame, at the just concluded Mombasa summit reaffirmed their decision to allow travel among the three countries for their citizens by using national ID cards from January next year, […]
More news from Porini Camps
Periodically I am re-posting articles or newsletters and when I get updates from Porini Camps it is always a given that I share it. Enjoy! Gamewatchers Safaris August 2013 Dear Dr. Wolfgang, Greetings Porini Enthusiast! Pictures speak louder than words! August is one of the best months to be in Kenya ( other than the […]
Kenya Airways set to introduce nonstop services to Guangzhou
KENYA AIRWAYS GEARS UP FOR NON STOP FLIGHTS TO GUANGZHOU (Posted 29th August 2013) When Kenya Airways takes delivery of their next brand new B777-300ER, expected in late October this year, the airline will from 19th of November onwards commence three nonstop flights from Nairobi to Guangzhou in China. Presently does KQ fly daily to […]
Air Tanzania axes more staff
AIR TANZANIA AXES MORE STAFF (Posted 29th August 2013) Air Tanzania has according to a source in Dar es Salaam reduced their staff from previously over 300 to 128 in the latest phase of retrenchment of a hugely inflated staff body. Operating one single Bombardier Q300 aircraft the airline has been bleeding money, in part […]
