Tanzania Tourist Board signs MOU with Ethiopian Airlines
TANZANIA TOURIST BOARD SIGNS MOU WITH ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES Information from Dar es Salaam speaks of a new cooperation agreement which was signed yesterday between Ethiopian Airlines and the Tanzania Tourist Board for an initial two year period of cooperation. Ethiopian Airlines flies multiple daily frequencies from Addis Ababa to Tanzania, covering Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro […]
Kenya Airways reaches partnership agreement with RwandAir
KENYA AIRWAYS AND RWANDAIR AT THE VERGE OF FORMING A MAJOR PARTNERSHIP Reliable sources from Nairobi have confirmed that a principal agreement has been reached between Kenya Airways and RwandAir, when KQ’s Dr. Titus Naikuni and RwandAir’s Chairman Girma Wake put pen to paper to outline future cooperation and work together to increase connectivity for […]
Brussels Airlines announces change of traffic days for Entebbe
BRUSSELS AIRLINES ANNOUNCES CHANGE OF TRAFFIC DAYS FOR EARLY 2013 The Kampala office of Brussels Airlines has just announced that come February 2013 their traffic days between Entebbe and Europe’s capital city will change. From 25th February onwards the traffic days will be Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, nonstop from Entebbe to Brussels but with a […]
Air Seychelles starts Hong Kong ticket sales
AIR SEYCHELLES STARTS TICKET SALES FOR HONGKONG AS APPROVALS GRANTED A regular source from Victoria has confirmed that national airline Air Seychelles has now opened up bookings and ticket sales for Hong Kong, the carrier’s next destination with flights expected to commence early 2013. A second Airbus A330-200 is expected to join the fleet in […]
Fast Jet near deal with 1Time of South Africa
FAST JET REACHES PRELIMINARY DEAL TO BUY SOUTH AFRICA’S 1TIME As suggested here some weeks ago, at the time strenuously denied – what else – have news broken in South Africa that the owners of FastJet have reached a preliminary agreement with the owners of 1Time, a South African LCC which recently halted operations and […]
Kasubi Tombs restoration work to start in early 2013
KASUBI TOMBS RECONSTRUCTION CONTRACT AWARDED One of Uganda’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Kasubi Tombs of the Kingdom of Buganda, which burned to the ground in March 2010, is now finally seeing some action towards restoration and rebuilding, when news broke overnight that a 2.3. Billion Uganda Shillings contract has finally been signed with a […]
Best Western opens first property in Nairobi
KENYA’S FIRST BEST WESTERN OPENS IN NAIROBI A 96 room and 6 suite Best Western franchise has opened in Nairobi’s Hurlingham area last week, the first of its kind in Kenya and second in Eastern Africa after Dar es Salaam. Located along Arwings Kodhek Road the newly opened hotel adds yet another global brand […]
Rwanda’s forest cover keeps growing
RWANDA’S FOREST COVER REACHES 24.5 PERCENT As The Land of a Thousand Hills prepares to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Rwanda Patriotic Front, the liberation force which eventually drove the notorious killer militias out of Rwanda and had the country rise like the proverbial Phoenix from the ashes of the 1994 genocide, did news […]
TANAPA Cessna crashes in Mpanda
TANAPA LOSES CESSNA IN FLIGHT MISHAP An unexplained dive soon after takeoff from the Mpanda airfield in Tanzania’s Katavi region led to the loss of a Cessna 182 aircraft, owned and operated by Tanzania National Parks, bearing registration 5H FZS. The aircraft, sponsored by the Frankfurt Zoological Society, hence the registration FZS, is considered a […]
SIF announces plans for Aldabra House
ALDABRA TO GET MAHE BASED VISITOR CENTRE AS IT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS AS WHS The Seychelles Island Foundation, custodian of the archipelago’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, has on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of having the Aldabra Atoll recognized by the world body, announced the construction of Aldabra House at Roche Caiman on […]
Seychelles gear up for fully booked period by strengthening police service
Pre-Christmas promotions for Seychelles police service The Ministe for Home Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan last Friday presided over a promotion ceremony at the Seychelles Police Training Academy, during which more than 90 police officers were promoted to higher ranks as a result of dedicated service and successful operational performance. Earlier in the year a […]
Whale shark open sea aquarium planned for Kenya coast
EAST AFRICAN WHALE SHARK TRUST TO SET UP OPEN WATER AQUARIUM The world’s largest whale shark aquarium in Atlanta / Georgia will be dwarved by a new open sea aquarium due to open around March next year, which will be about 100 times bigger, according to sources at the Kenya coast. The enclosure is said […]
Emirates now in sales drive for Dubai Shopping Festival in January
EMIRATES TURNS TO JANUARY DUBAI SHOPPING FESTIVAL PROMOTIONS While reiterating Emirates’ latest destination, the award winning national airline of Dubai is now flying 5 times a week to Lyon in France, a regular source at the Emirates office in Kampala has moved the focus beyond the Christmas and New Year holidays to the annual Dubai […]
Vipingo Ridge organizes holiday season flights from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport
VIPINGO RIDGE GETS DAILY FLIGHT FROM NAIROBI’S WILSON AIRPORT Vipingo Ridge has announced that with effect from 21st December a daily afternoon flight will operate from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to Vipingo Ridge, the unique coastal getaway gated community spread over 2.500 acres of land. Leaving Wilson Airport at 4 pm daily the flight will reach […]
Seychelles presents the 2013 Marketing Strategy
NEW MARKETING STRATEGY PRESENTED TO STAKEHOLDERS Following the ‘inhouse’ strategy sessions last week at the Hilton Labriz and interaction with stakeholders on the direction the tourism marketing strategy for 2013 is to take, was the new policy paper formally presented to the public over the weekend, while at the same time also celebrating UNWTO’s announcement […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Third edition December 2012
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 […]
Mauritius invests nearly 60 million US Dollars in new naval ship
MAURITIUS TO GET OWN NAVAL ASSETS TO KEEP TERRITORIAL WATERS SAFE The visit of an Indian navy ship in Port Louis has been used to announce that Mauritius will be getting an own ocean going patrol vessel by 2014, boosting the capacity of the National Coast Guard significantly. The new 60 million US Dollars worth, […]
7 rhinos killed in 7 days raises red alarm levels in Kenya
KENYA’S CONSERVATION FRATERNITY GOES INTO CRISIS MODE AFTER 7 RHINOS KILLED Reports about the killing of 7 rhinos and several elephant over the last week has thrown Kenya’s conservation fraternity into a crisis mode, with some already claiming that South Africa’s rhino killing spree – more than 600 rhinos have been poached this year in […]
Precision set to add Mbeya once Songwe Airport reopens
PRECISION AIR COMMITS TO MBEYA AHEAD OF REOPENING OF SONGWE AIRPORT The expected re-opening of Songwe Airport in Mbeya (MBI), due to take place before the end of the year after a prolonged period of reconstruction and modernization, has already seen Precision Air, Tanzania’s leading airline, to commit scheduled flights to the destination, widening its […]
GVTC meets in Kigali to discuss critical gorilla conservation issues
GREATER VIRUNGA TRANSBOUNDARY COLLABORATION SET FOR KIGALI MEETING The three wildlife management organizations from Rwanda, Uganda and Congo DR will this weekend meet in Kigali for their biannual meeting, following the previous one earlier this year in Kampala. High on the agenda for the Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Department, the Uganda Wildlife Authority […]
South Sudan demands photo permit fee of 50 US Dollars
TOURISM SECTOR CONDEMNS PHOTO PERMIT REQUIREMENT AS ‘DESPERATE MEASURE’ East African tourism stakeholders were swift to condemn the South Sudan government’s enforcement of an old rule, introduced ages ago by the former slave master regime in Khartoum before independence but never enforced until now, that tourists visiting the country, require a photo permit if they […]
Exploring East Africa by overland bus is a low budget option for more and more
BUDGET TOURISTS INCREASINGLY TAKE TO OVERLAND BUSSES TO EXPLORE EAST AFRICA The softening demand for holidays in Eastern Africa from the main ‘producer countries’ in Europe, suffering from economic woes and downturns, has brought focus back on a group of travelers often overlooked, often ignored and often belittled by the mainstream tourism fraternity. Yet, these […]
Mauritius’ St. Regis finally opens
ST. REGIS MAURITIUS FINALLY OPENS ITS DOORS Long awaited has the St. Regis Mauritius finally opened its doors, adding a new dimension of bespoke luxury to the islands’ already impressive list of top rated resorts. Comprising 172 suites and rooms the resort is located at a prime location near the Le Morne UNESCO World Heritage […]
Sauti Za Busara just two months away
SAUTI ZA BUSARA GETS READY FOR 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION The 10th edition of Sauti Za Busara, East Africa’s most popular performing arts festival held on the spice island of Zanzibar, is gearing up as final preparations are now underway for the February 14 – 17 event. It has not been lost on the festival organizers […]
Likoni ferry crossing to cost more
LIKONI FERRY SEEKS 30 PERCENT TARIFF RISE PROMPTING STAKEHOLDER OUTRAGE Proposals by the management of the Kenya Ferry Services, operating the ferries between the Mombasa island and the southern mainland at Likoni, to raise their charges by 20 percent come January 01st and a further 10 percent by midyear 2013 have met with stiff resistance […]
Ethiopian announces Madrid flights for June 2013
ETHIOPIAN ADDS MADRID TO LIST OF NEW 2013 DESTINATIONS Star Alliance member Ethiopian Airlines has announced plans to add Madrid to their list of new destinations, starting with initially three flights per week from 15th June 2013 onwards. All flights will be operated via Rome FCO as the total number of flights to the Italian […]
The planned Mwambani Port – Who cares for a prehistoric fish marine park when billions are at stake
THREATS, INTIMIDATION AND DECEIPT SURROUND MWAMBANI PORT DECISION ‘Wait for a little while and you will see something done’ is the quote captured when Tanzania’s Minister for Transport Dr. Harrison Mwakyembe last week talked about the government’s unchanged plans to build a new sea port at the heart of the Coelacanth Marine National Park at […]
Malaysia customs seize record blood ivory shipment
MALAYSIA SEIZES RECORD HAUL OF BLOOD IVORY Information has just come to light that customs and port officials in Port Kelang in Malaysia have confiscated what might be the largest blood ivory haul ever, weighing as much as 20 tons according to sources quoted in Malaysia. The shipment according to the details availed came from […]
Kenya counts losses but looks at the future
KENYA TOURISM TAKES STOCK AS YEAR END NEAR Tourism stakeholders in Kenya are taking stock ahead of the end of the year, with January to October data suggesting an overall ‘loss’ of approximately 2 percent in arrivals compared to the previous record breaking year of 2010. Data received here, and originating at the tourist board […]
Kenya Airways suspends N’Djamena flights
N’DJAMENA FLIGHTS SUSPENDED AS KENYA AIRWAYS STRUGGLES WITH COST BURDEN Kenya Airways has reportedly suspended the twice a week flights to Chad’s capital N’djamena with immediate effect, blaming the halt of low demand and poor forward bookings. Operated until now via Cotonou / Benin, this is Kenya Airways’ third route this year to be suspended, […]
