Likoni ferries make more negative headlines
BREAKDOWN OR SABOTAGE – LIKONI FERRIES BACK IN THE BAD NEWS When yesterday late afternoon some of the ferries used to connect Mombasa island with the Southern mainland ‘stalled’, stranding tens of thousands of commuters and hundreds of vehicles including tourist busses, suspicion was raised promptly that disgruntled ferry workers, repeatedly on strike and go […]
Rwanda comes 6th in Globe Spots annual ‘hot list’
GLOBE SPOTS PUT RWANDA IN TOP TEN GLOBAL TOURISM DESTINATIONS One of the world’s leading guide publications, Globe Spot, has named Rwanda as their top 6th global destination, the highest scoring African country in their top 10 being Mozambique in second place and Malawi in ninth position. This recognition will likely increase the spotlight on […]
CCTV coming to Nairobi
NAIROBI SET TO INTRODUCE CCTV SURVEILLANCE TO IMPROVE SECURITY Starting in early 2013 will Nairobi’s city centre and key traffic hotspots outside the CBD be covered by CCTV surveillance cameras, aimed to improve security for city residents and visitors alike. Over 50 locations have been selected and the installation, due to start in February next […]
EAC Heads of State to launch new Nairobi – Namanga – Arusha highway
EAC HEADS OF STATE TO FORMALLY OPEN NEW NAMANGA – ARUSHA HIGHWAY Part of the official programme for the upcoming East African Community Head of State Summit in Nairobi will be the formal launch of the new highway, which is linking Nairobi, via Namanga, to Arusha. The project which started back in 2004 brings both […]
EAC membership still some distance away for Juba
SOUTH SUDAN FAILS TO GET THE THUMBS UP FOR EAC MEMBERSHIP ‘They are woefully unprepared to even reach applicant status at this time and their budget woes have not helped them at all. But I think the last nail in their coffin was how they have caused huge financial pains to the business communities in […]
Uganda named as THE birdwatching destination for 2013
UGANDA NAMED AS ‘THE’ BIRDWATCHING DESTINATION FOR 2013 As 2012 is slowly getting ready to hand over to the next year in line a new tagline will take over from the hype of this year, as The Pearl of Africa turned 50 and when the Lonely Planet Guide had named Uganda as their top destination […]
Seychelles safe for tourists say stakeholders in response to media reports
TOURISM STAKEHOLDER QUESTION INTENT BY SECTIONS OF MEDIA Several leading tourism stakeholders have over the past days written, questioning the real intent by sections of the Seychelles media to front page, ahead and during one of the archipelago’s main tourism events, Subios – the Festival of the Sea of allegedly having pirates off Bird Island […]
Mwazo signals exit from parliament at next elections
MWAZO SIGNALS EXIT FROM PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT Kenya’s embattled tourism minister, at odds with the private sector and at loggerheads with the board of directors of the Kenya Tourism Board and its Chief Executive Muriithi Ndegwa, has according to reports received overnight signaled his intention to stand for the post of Senator in his home […]
CCK reduces call termination rates, at last
CCK LOWERS TERMINATION RATES BUT WHO WILL BENEFIT Kenya’s Communications Commission has earlier in the week lowered call termination rates from KShs 2.21 to KShs 1.44, the second major reduction since originally halving these rates in 2010 from the initial KShs 4.42. Consumers and in particular phone users in Kenya will now be watching keenly, […]
FastJet plans for regional flights appear on the web
FASTJET’S REGIONAL PLANS BECOME KNOWN The African Aviation Tribune has earlier this week published what appears to be FastJet’s planned schedule for the region, covering Entebbe, Nairobi and Zanzibar. The self pronounced low cost carrier, set to commence flight operations later this week, plans according to the AAT website to fly up to four times […]
Gamewatchers Ol Kinyei bags ‘Conservancy of the Year 2012’ award
PORINI’S OL KINYEI IS KENYA’S ‘COMMUNITY CONSERVANCY 2012’ The Eco Warrior Awards in Kenya were founded to recognize efforts, innovations and exceptional achievements for promoting responsible tourism and enhancing tourism sustainability which directly conserves the natural environment linked to local communities through mutual beneficial and equitable partnerships. Nature conservation through community development by tourism is […]
Air Mauritius announces increase in Hong Kong flights from mid 2013
AIR MAURITUS TO ADD THIRD HONG KONG FLIGHT FROM MID 2013 Only days after confirming that Shanghai will be served nonstop and no longer via Kuala Lumpur from next year onwards, did news emerge that Hong Kong will get a third weekly flight effective 02nd July next year. Mauritius tourism sector has warmly welcomed the […]
Ethiopian delays daily Hong Kong flights by 3 weeks
ETHIOPIAN PUSHES ADDITIONAL HONG KONG FLIGHTS TO DECEMBER Information was received that the planned additional flights between Addis Ababa and Hong Kong, due to start earlier this week, have been pushed to now commence on December 14th. From the present 4 flights a week, routing from Addis via Bangkok to Hong Kong, the destination will […]
Hong Kong blood ivory suspects taken to court in Dar es Salaam
KAGESHEKI’S REACTION TO BLOOD IVORY FINDS ENDS 5 IN COURT When shock news broke a few weeks ago over the seizure of a record haul of blood ivory in Hong Kong, and fingers were pointed immediately at Tanzania, the first reaction from Dar es Salaam was one of denial and feigned outrage. This however soon […]
Ethiopian eyes Air Malawi stake
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES TO BID FOR STAKE IN AIR MALAWI Ethiopian Airlines has reportedly expressed their interest to make a bid for Air Malawi, which according to a periodic aviation source in Johannesburg has been put back on the market by their government, which plans to sell up to 49 percent to a strategic investor. A […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Fourth edition November 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 […]
Embraer chooses Nairobi for their African sales and maintenance support centre
EMBRAER SET TO OPEN AFRICA CENTRE IN NAIROBI Embraer, Brazil’s commercial aircraft manufacturer, used the opportunity last Thursday, when another E190 jet was delivered to Kenya Airways at their Embakasi headquarters, to announce that they will be opening an office in Nairobi in early 2013, aiming to serve a growing African market where the demand […]
Kenya Airways adds another E190 to their fast growing fleet, enters into code share with China Eastern for Shanghai
KENYA AIRWAYS TAKES DELIVERY OF YET ANOTHER E190 Kenya Airways, aka The Pride of Africa, has taken delivery of yet another E190 aircraft on Thursday last week, as the current pending order for 10 of these advanced aircraft is progressively being fulfilled by Brazil’s aircraft manufacturer Embraer. The E190 jets are a perfect fit for […]
Turkish Airlines becomes number one
TURKISH BECOMES NUMBER ONE Turkish Airlines, almost by stealth but certainly with a lot less fanfare compared to some of the Gulf’s leading carriers, has this month reached a new milestone, when first it took delivery on its 200th aircraft before adding the 90th country to its fast growing destination network of now 170 international […]
Turkish Airlines becomes global leader
TURKISH BECOMES NUMBER ONE Turkish Airlines, almost by stealth but certainly with a lot less fanfare compared to some of the Gulf’s leading carriers, has this month reached a new milestone, when first it took delivery on its 200th aircraft before adding the 90th country to its fast growing destination network of now 170 international […]
Kenya cabinet approves KAA financing packages
KIBAKI’S INFRASTRUCTURE LEGACY SECURE AS CABINET APPROVES AIRPORT FINANCING The aviation sector in Kenya, and in fact in the wider region, will be jubilant as news emerge from Nairobi that the last cabinet meeting chaired by President Kibaki has approved the financing proposals by the Kenya Airport Authority, for the pending Project Greenfield which includes […]
UWA finally gets a new substantive CEO
DR. ANDREW SEGUYA APPOINTED AS NEW UWA CEO Dr. Andrew Seguya, for the past nearly two years Acting Executive Director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, has been appointed to a 5 year term of office following the conclusion of a recruitment exercise undertaken on behalf of the UWA Board of Directors by a local HR […]
Gamewatchers extends Porini operations to Nakuru
PORINI COMES TO NAKURU The four celebrated and award winning Porini Safari Camps of Gamewatcher Safaris in Kenya will be getting another ‘sibling’ when a new temporary tented camp will open in a wooded area of Lake Nakuru National Park. Similar in set up to all the sister camps on Ol Pejeta and their conservancies […]
Ethiopian opens new premium lounge in Addis Ababa
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES OPENS NEW PREMIUM LOUNGE With the first few B787 Dreamliners now flying from Addis into the world Ethiopian Airlines has now opened the first section of a brand new business class lounge in Addis Ababa, to match the new aircraft in the skies with the comforts of a newly designed, state of the […]
Mauritius hopes Visa rule relaxation will rekindle tourism fortunes
MAURITIUS RELAXES VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR 75 COUNTRIES A regular source from Port Louis has confirmed information, that Mauritius has relaxed Visa requirements for 29 African countries and 75 countries overall, aimed to facilitate greater bonds with those countries vis a vis trade and travel. Restrictive Visa regimes were according to tourism sources from Mauritius at […]
Jetlink’s woes just got worse as creditors move to court
CREDITORS MOVE ON JETLINK TO PROTECT THEIR CLAIMS The High Court in Nairobi has granted what must be the first of several applications by creditors of grounded privately owned Kenyan airline Jetlink, as the owners of four of the carrier’s CRJ200 jets have moved to get them ‘taken into CAA custody’. According to a source […]
COMESA Business Forum ends with tourism on the agenda
COMESA BUSINESS FORUM ENDS WITH TALKING TOURISM Tourism was the penultimate item on the agenda of the just ended COMESA Business Forum, which brought together hundreds of business wo/men at the lakeside convention resort of Munyonyo. Two days of intensive business to business meetings alongside a range of keynote speeches and presentations discussed progress made […]
Appeals process starts for the three former tourism leaders
CONVICTED FORMER TOURISM LEADERS START APPEAL HEARING Former Permanent Secretary Rebecca Nabutoola, former KTB CEO Dr. Achieng and former Maniago Safaris CEO Duncan Muriuki yesterday appeared before the High Court in Milimani / Nairobi, pleading to be granted bail ahead of a formal appeal hearing going underway. All three convicts, through their lawyers, cited a […]
More rooms for Serengeti Simba Lodge
SERENGETI SIMBA ADDS STONE HOUSE Located on top of what is locally known as Gambasage Hill inside the Ikona Wildlife Management Area, the Serengeti Simba Lodge has always offered great views, in particular over the Grumeti River and into the Grumeti area of the Serengeti. The latest addition to the lodge is the just opened […]
Safarilink scoop more green honours for carbon neutral operations
SAFARILINK MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW Kenya’s premier safari airline, Safarilink, last week scooped the coveted Enterprise of the Year 2012 – Airlines award at the EcoTourism Kenya gala dinner, where the topmost green performers of Kenya’s tourism industry are recognized for their commitment to reduce their carbon footprint, employ best practice and show […]
