Ethiopia opens new highway section to The Sudan
HIGHWAY LINK BETWEEN SUDAN AND ETHIOPIA COMMISSIONED A Chinese built and financed highway link between Ethiopia and The Sudan was declared open and operational during the week, when officials in Addis Ababa made the announcement. The new highway, over 100 kilometres in length, connects the Ethiopian town of Asossa with the Sudanese town of Kumruk, […]
Dusit International set to join Nairobi’s hospitality scene
NOW DUSIT JOINS THE HOSPITALITY THRONG IN NAIROBI Usually reliable information from Nairobi speaks of the arrival in Kenya of yet another internationally top rated hospitality group, Thai based Dusit International Hotels, which is due to take over the management of a new 5 star boutique styled property before the end of the year under […]
Routes meeting details for 2013 released
ROUTES PUBLISHES 2013 MEETING PROGRAMME BRINGING ROUTES AFRICA TO UGANDA Routes has just published the calendar of regional and global events taking place in 2013 across the word, bringing together the who is who of the aviation industry. Airlines, airports, tourism boards, regulatory agencies and authorities meet under the Routes banner to discuss opening new […]
Double celebrations at The Ark
THE ARK EARNS TOP TRIPADVISOR RATING AS WEBCAM TAKES GAMEVIEWING GLOBAL The Ark, Kenya’s own version of Noah’s original refuge for wildlife, which from its large terraces and lounges offers superb game viewing across a forest glade and large waterhole in the middle of the Aberdare National Park’s forest, has double reason to celebrate this […]
BA set to leave Dar es Salaam by March this year
BRITISH AIRWAYS SET TO PULL OUT OF DAR ES SALAAM Information was just confirmed from a regular aviation source in Dar es Salaam, that British Airways appears set to leave Tanzania’s commercial capital come March this year. The respective booking systems do not show any flight availability beyond March either, adding a further confirmation to […]
Akagera fencing work to finish by April
AKAGERA FENCE COMPLETION NOW EXPECTED BY APRIL The fencing work to separate the park from the farms of neighbouring communities bordering, which has been carried out by African Parks, the joint venture partner of RDB Tourism and Conservation managing the national park, is now expected to be complete by the end of March or early […]
The never ending Likoni ferry saga adds another chapter
LIKONI FERRY SUFFERS ANOTHER BAD DAY A regular source from Mombasa related the latest mishap which struck the Likoni ferry yesterday, when one of the newly purchased ferries, MV Likoni, reportedly came in too fast for landing and then got stuck on the ramp way above the water level. The Kenya Ferry Services were last […]
Kenya Airways sticks to the Dreamliner
KENYA AIRWAYS STICKS TO DREAMLINER – FOR NOW Kenya Airways, aka The Pride of Africa, has downplayed the current hullabaloo about Boeing’s B787 Dreamliner, of which the airline has 9 such aircraft on firm order, plus an additional 4 on purchase options. A statement from the airline, while expressing concern over the current spate of […]
Blame Ministry, mean Minister
RENEWED CRITICISM TOWARDS TOURISM MINISTRY HEAPS MORE BLAME ON MWAZO Senior stakeholders in Kenya’s tourism sector are increasingly outspoken now about the performance of the Ministry of Tourism in recent months, but are still stopping short of publicly repeating what is being whispered behind closed doors, that they hold the minister personally responsible for the […]
More blood ivory seized at Mombasa port by vigilant officials
KENYA CUSTOMS SEIZE TWO TONS OF BLOOD IVORY AT MOMBASA PORT Customs, security and KWS officials have yesterday seized two tons of blood ivory, containing some 600 tusks and pieces of ivory, said to be worth over 1 million US Dollars on the open market. Information from Mombasa indicates that the container was labeled as […]
Seychelles Ministry of Tourism and Culture gets new Principal Secretary
SHERIN RENAUD APPOINTED NEW PRINCIPAL SECRETARY FOR TOURISM Mrs. Sherin Renaud, for long the successful CEO of the Seychelles Investment Board, was yesterday appointed as the new Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. The move is seen to further strengthen this Ministry’s ability to spearhead the island nation’s most important economic sector, […]
Kempinski in Kenya
KEMPINSKI TAKES OVER THE OLARE MARA CAMP The day has finally dawned on Kempinski’s entering Kenya’s hospitality industry proper, when the formal handover by the owners Simba Colt of the Olare Mara Camp took place earlier today to global hospitality giants Kempinski. Now known at the Olara Mara Kempinski | Masai Mara, the 11 Deluxe […]
The Carnival is not over until the ‘Fat Lady has sung’
IS MAURITIUS TRYING TO RAIN ON SEYCHELLES’ CARNIVAL PARADE? Preparations for the 3rd edition of the fabulous Carnaval de Carnivals, aka Carnival International de Victoria in the Seychelles, are in high gear it was learned from a source on Mahe. Rehearsals have taken place, the floats, kept in secret locations, are being build up and […]
KQ gets reprieve on staff reinstatement order
KENYA AIRWAYS GETS REPRIEVE FROM COURT OVER REINSTATEMENT ORDER Information received from Nairobi indicates that the Industrial Court in a change of mind granted an application by Kenya Airways to hold off the ordered reinstatement of over 400 staff who left the airline last year under a voluntary retirement scheme. In September last year was […]
Mabira must not die
LEAVE MABIRA ALONE CONSERVATION FRATERNITY TELLS PRESIDENT (Picture courtesy of Wikipedia) Media reports in Uganda suggest that President Museveni, while addressing a retreat of members of parliament a few days ago, appears to have raised the issue of the Mabira Forest give away again, reopening, if correct, a long standing saga. Opposed by civil society, […]
Safarilink celebrates 9th anniversary of flight operations to Kenya’s parks
SAFARILINK TURNS 9 AMID GREAT PLANS FOR THE FUTURE When Safarilink started operations in January 2004, a total of 7 staff worked with CEO John Buckley, including Anu Vohora who was tasked with selling and marketing the new airline’s services. That month Safarilink flew 29 passengers with two leased aircraft but 9 years down the […]
Uganda’s Volcanoes Safaris earns Global Vision Award for 2012
VOLCANOES SAFARIS EARNS GLOBAL TRAVEL AWARD The Travel and Leisure Magazine has in its 7th edition of the Global Vision Awards named the Kyambura Gorge Lodge, owned and operated by Volcanoes Safaris, as Africa’s best in terms of eco friendly and sustainable operations. Volcanoes owns 4 lodges in total one of them in neighbouring Rwanda, […]
Rwanda steps up customer care and service delivery monitoring
RWANDA’S NATIONAL CUSTOMER CARE & SERVICE DELIVERY TASK FORCE TAKES AIM Rwanda’s efforts to further improve service delivery and customer care across the country, not just for foreign tourist and business visitors but for Rwandan too, have gained further momentum last week when the national customer care and service delivery task force visited a number […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region, Second edition January 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 breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also ‘cross load’ or […]
EAC names common Visa as among top priorities for 2013
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY MAKES COMMON TOURIST VISA A PRIORITY – AGAIN EAC Secretary General Dr. Richard Sezibera has named the introduction of a single tourist Visa to the region, and the revival of an East African Passport across the member states, as among the main priorities for the trade bloc in 2013 alongside the removal […]
TANAPA gives notice for park fee increases effective July
TANAPA RAISES ENTRANCE FEES FOR PARKS COME JULY Tanzania National Parks have announced a range of new increased tariffs which are due to come into effect in July this year for the period up to June 2015. The new tariffs cover not only park entrance fees for foreign nonresident visitors, resident visitors, East Africans and […]
ATCL’s return to the skies cut short as cockpit window cracks
BAD LUCK HAUNTS AIR TANZANIA ON RETURN TO THE SKIES Information is emerging from Dar es Salaam, that embattled Air Tanzania, upon taking to the skies once again last Friday, has suffered a setback on the maiden flight to Kigoma. The 39 passengers boarding from there to fly to Dar es Salaam were perhaps already […]
Draconian anti booze bill fails to get passed as Kenya’s parliament ‘expires’
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY SPARED BY A WHISKER OF DRACONIAN ANTI BOOZE BILL The well founded fears of a devastating fallout from an ill considered bill, attempting to prohibit and criminalize the consumption and sales of alcoholic drinks over the election period in March this year, have been put to rest as Kenya’s Parliament failed to pass […]
Dar to Kigali railway project progresses on schedule
TANZANIA HOSTS TRIPARTITE MEETING WITH RAILWAY PARTNERS The Tanzanian government hosted a tripartite meeting of the Transport Ministers with Rwanda and Burundi on Friday, discussing the final submission of the feasibility study for the establishment of a rail link from Isaka to Kigali and Bujumbura. The meeting then went ahead to appoint a joint technical […]
MTPA’s latest copy / paste attempt shows moral and creative bankruptcy
MTPA’S INTELLECTUAL BANKRUPTCY MANIFESTS ITSELF IN MORE COPY / PASTE ACTIONS A section of tourism stakeholders increasingly opposed to the current leadership at MTPA, has in a number of emails to this correspondent called them ‘The undisputed masters of copy / paste’ while openly questioning their ability to introduce even a single innovation or original […]
Air Uganda attains IOSA certification, set to launch Premium Economy product
AIR UGANDA GETS IOSA CERTIFICATION Information is now available on the IATA website that Air Uganda, the Pearl of Africa’s quasi national airline, has been accorded the coveted ‘IATA Operational Safety Audit’ certification until 30th September 2013 when renewal audit is due to retain the status. Recipient is in fact Meridiana Africa Airlines (U) Limited […]
Uganda’s Mountains of the Moon, a journey in time to discover the mystery
THE MYSTERY OF THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON First mentioned by ancient Greek cartographer Ptolemaeus in around 150 AD, though never conclusively answered how he got the information in the first place, the Mountains of the Moon, today also called the Rwenzori or Ruwenzori Mountains, have held a mystery, inspired travelers and dreamers and treated […]
Nairobi to get new budget hotel at Gigiri’s Village Market
OWNERS OF TRIBE HOTEL AND VILLAGE MARKET EYE BUDGET HOTEL SEGMENT Information was received from hospitality sources in Nairobi, that the owners of the hugely successful 5 star Tribe Hotel and the adjoining Village Market in Gigiri, often referred to as Nairobi’s ‘Diplomatic Zone’ for the vicinity to the sprawling UN complex nearby, have decided […]
Cost of ferry fares goes up between Mahe, Praslin and La Digue
INTER ISLAND FERRIES RAISE TICKET COST The Inter Island Ferries, which operate the famous Cat Cocos high speed ferry between Mahe and Praslin, has announced a new set of tariffs effective immediately. Tourists will now pay 835 SR (Seychelles Rupees) on the main deck and 1.080 SR in business class while Seychelles citizens pay SR […]
MTPA’s Mootosamy thought to be behind the latest spat with Seychelles
MISCHIEF ALLEGED OVER MAURITIUS’ CLAIMS OF COST TO ATTEND VICTORIA CARNIVAL The local daily ‘Today’ in the Seychelles rocked the proverbial boat when it played, wittingly or unwittingly, willing party to claims peddled by well known individuals within the Mauritius’ tourism public sector, which attempted to defend the island’s continued official absence from the Carnival […]
