Fly 540 plane comes off runway at Eldoret
FLY 540 PLANE VEERS OFF RUNWAY IN ELDORET Reports from Kenya speak of a runway incident at Eldorets International Airport yesterday morning, when a Fly 540 plane reportedly veered off the runway, fortunately not injuring any of the passengers on board, all of whom escaped a potential tragedy by a whisker. Kenyas Civil Aviation Authority […]
Emirates set to open a sales office in Mombasa
EMIRATES TO OPEN MOMBASA OFFICE Information was received from a regular source in Kenya that Emirates, Dubais award winning national airline, intends to set up an office in Mombasa to tap into the increasingly important market from the Kenyan coast. It could not be established if the planned start of scheduled flights by Gulf rival […]
AFRAA aims to improve scheduling alignment between member airlines
AFRAA AIMS AT SCHEDULING ALIGNMENTS The Nairobi based African Airlines Association has recently met with several member airlines to discuss a greater alignment of the respective schedules, aimed at improving connectivity for passengers travelling across the African continent. Working in partnership with international service provider Sabre, AFRAA brought amongst others Kenya Airways, RwandAir and South […]
Kenya’s new Lamu port project gets underway in earnest with first tenders available for bidding now
LAPSSET GOES INTO TENDER STAGE AS COMPETING RAIL/PORT LINKS RACE INTENSIFIES The announcement earlier in the week that the Kenyan government had, through the Kenya Ports Authority, issued invitations to tender for the design and construction of the first three berths of the planned new deep sea harbour of Lamu, has thrown the gauntlet down […]
KTDC Board in limbo following court challenge by sacked predecessors
MUTOKO APPOINTMENT AS KTDC CHAIR CHALLENGED IN COURT BY PREDECESSOR (File photo) Ms. Caroline Mutoko, appointed last weekend as chairperson of the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation by President Kibaki, and other members of the KTDC board, appointed by the Kenyan minister of tourism at the same time, will have to wait a little longer to […]
D’Arros island becomes the Seychelles’ latest protected nature reserve
D ARROS ISLAND BECOMES A NATURE RESERVE The Creole Island Paradise of the Seychelles is once again living up to its billing as one of the worlds most committed green countries when the announcement was made yesterday that DArros Island was to be declared a nature reserve. The islands owners, a locally incorporated company, will […]
Kenya’s Court of Appeal confirms March 04 election date
GENERAL ELECTIONS SET FOR 04TH MARCH 2013 FOLLOWING APPEALS COURT DECISION Kenyas Court of Appeal yesterday upheld an earlier ruling by the High Court and affirmed, that the next general and presidential elections will indeed now be held on the 04th of March 2013. The election date has long been speculative but the judges, inspite […]
Tanzania set to clear all buildings inside the 60 metre shoreline
TANZANIA SET TO CLEAR ALL BUILDINGS INSIDE THE 60 METRE SHORELINE LIMIT Information has come to light that the Tanzanian government seems set to implement a ban on coast line construction and has pledged the removal of all buildings, houses and apparently even resorts, which reach inside the 60 metre distance of the high water […]
WildPlaces Africa moves offices in Kampala
WILDPLACES AFRICA MOVE TO NEW PREMISES The Uganda Safari Company and sister organization WildPlaces have moved their offices in Kampala to a new location in the suburb of Bugolobi. WildPlaces comprises the Semliki Safari Camp, the Apoka Lodge in Kidepo Valley National Park, the award winning Clouds at Nkuringo / Bwindi National Park and the […]
5th Annual e-Tourism Summit set for Cape Town in September
5TH ANNUAL E-TOURISM AFRICA SUMMIT SET FOR CAPE TOWN] South African Tourism and Cape Town Tourism are the main sponsors for the upcoming 5th Annual e-Tourism Summit, which will take place this year at the southern end of the African continent between 13th and 14th of September at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Economic […]
Kenya set to re-negotiate up to 13 Bilateral Air Service Agreements
KENYA TO RENEGOTIATE KEY BILATERAL AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS The Seychelles, Mauritius and South Sudan are three of as many as 13 countries Kenya intends to review and revise bilateral air service agreements, in short BASAs, which regulate air traffic between states. Governed under BASAs are amongst other issues the number of frequencies designated airlines from […]
Africa’s equatorial belt forests get added oversight and hopefully greater protection
CONGOS FORESTS GET WIDER OVERSIGHT The often reckless destruction and unsustainable felling of tropical hard wood trees in the sprawling forests of the DR Congo has at last received the attention from the African Union it long deserved under the COMIFAC initiative, the English translation being the Central Africa Forests Commission. Increased deforestation in the […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Fourth edition July 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’ occupancy levels continue to worry resort operators and hotel owners
POOR OCCUPANCIES BY MAURITIUS RESORTS PROMPT RENEWED CALLS FOR CHANGE The recent announcement by the chairman of the Mauritius small hotels association Mr. Bissoon Mungroo, that occupancies amongst member hotels were now at a record low of in average less than 40 percent, constituting a significant drop compared to the previous years performance, sent shockwaves […]
Kampala Aero Club goes carbon neutral in a first for Uganda’s aviation industry
KAMPALA AERO CLUB CERTIFIED AS CARBON NEUTRAL The Kampala Aero Club and Flight Training Centre, in short KAFTC, has recently accomplished another first for Uganda, when the company for formally certified as carbon neutral by the Uganda Carbon Bureau, covering all the companys flight and ground operations. Claims by UCBs press release of a first […]
Magical Kenya Travel Trade Fair 2012 set for September 28 – 30
KENYA TOURIST BOARD SET FOR END SEPTEMBER MAGICAL KENYA FAIR September 28 30 are the dates to mark in the calendar when Kenyas Tourism Board will once again host their Magical Kenya Travel Trade Fair to showcase the countrys attractions to the international market. Following a highly successful inaugural edition last year, the 2012 event […]
Kilimanjaro International attracts new interest after Qatar Airways inaugural flight
ADDITIONAL AIRLINES EYE KILIMANJARO AFTER QATAR AIRWAYS ENTRY Airline sources in Tanzania have indicated fresh interest by airlines in flying to Kilimanjaro International Airport following the successful market entry by Qatar Airways on the 25th of July. We know that Emirates and Turkish have been sniffing around after it was made public that QR will […]
KAA faces contempt of court charges, AGAIN
KAA FACES CONTEMPT OF COURT PROCEEDINGS No stranger to legal controversy, last in the full spotlight of the public when being part of the willful destruction of residences and properties on disputed land, for which the owners of the respective properties claimed to have titles but which KAA insisted was their land, KAA has again […]
President Kibaki appoints Chairs of tourism parastatals
PRESIDENT KIBAKI APPOINTS NEW CHAIRS OF TOURISM PARASTATALS Killian Lugwe, best known in Kampala for heading the team which transformed the former Nile Hotel International into the Kampala Serena Hotel before being posted back to Nairobi at the end of 2010, where after a spell as General Manager of the Nairobi Serena Hotel he now […]
Combined WHO and Ministry of Health team confirm Ebola outbreak in Uganda
EBOLA OUTBREAK CONFIRMED IN UGANDA A joint team of Ministry of Health and World Health Organization officials has yesterday officially confirmed in Kampala that an outbreak of Ebola has in recent days killed 14 people in the western district of Kibaale, some 200 KM from Ugandas capital city. Samples were tested at Ugandas Virus Research […]
Congo fighting prompts Clinton visit to Kampala
CLINTON SET TO ARRIVE IN UGANDA TO DISCUSS CONGO FIGHTING Us Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is due to arrive in Uganda this coming Tuesday for discussions with President Museveni on the renewed crisis in Eastern Congo, where intense fighting has once again displaced tens of thousands of innocent people as sections of the former […]
Annual migration arrives in the Masai Mara, exposing media reports on ‘sabotage’ by Tanzania as utter lies
MIGRATION ARRIVES IN THE MASAI MARA IN FULL NUMBERS Recent reports in sections of the East African media, alleging deliberate attempts by TANAPA and SENAPA to keep the annual migration of wildebeest into the Masai Mara, have not only been denied strenuously by Tanzanian officials but by the look of it lack all merit or […]
Routes Africa 2013 set for Uganda
ROUTES AFRICA 2013 COMES TO THE PEARL OF AFRICA Routes Africa, which just celebrated their most successful meeting ever in terms of African and global participation, will move to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa for next year, dates in July 2013 due to be announced soon. The just concluded 2012 conference was held earlier in […]
Qatar Airways adds Kilimanjaro, seeks to recruit airport personnel for growing African network
QATAR AIRWAYS SPREADS WINGS IN AFRICA WITH DESTINATIONS AND RECRUITMENTS Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania was the 18th African destination Qatar Airways is now flying to and the 118th international destination overall, as the worlds 5 star airline only recently once again so confirmed by Skytrax annual airline award announcements continues to expand into the […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands – Third edition July 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 […]
‘Normal Service will resume next week’
Dear Friends and regular Readers of my blog, for reasons beyond my control I had to take a break from my daily news broadcasts but regular postings should resume by mid or end next week. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Wolfgang
Is Tanzania’s Coelacanth Marine National Park at Mwambani damned for destruction?
CHINA READY TO FINANCE NEW MWAMBANI PORT INSIDE COELACANTH MARINE PARK Emerging information that China has reportedly stepped up to finance the construction of a new port at Mwambani, instead of rehabilitating and enlarging the existing and grossly underutilized Tanga port, have shaken Tanzanias conservation fraternity afresh. This has happened only days after learning that […]
Seychelles elected to chair Vanilla Island cooperation
SEYCHELLES ELECTED TO CHAIR VANILLA ISLAND COOPERATION Seychelles tourism minister Alain St. Anges tireless efforts in past years, and more so over the past few months when at least one member of the Indian Ocean island cooperation, misguided by one individual it should be stressed, wanted to ditch the partnership and break away, were rewarded […]
US slaps Kenya with fresh travel prohibition orders
US PLAYS MORE POWER GAMES WITH FRESH ANTI TRAVEL DIRECTIVES AGAINST KENYA After sustained pressure to lift the travel ban for US Embassy and associated organizations staff to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa last week, which had caused outrage within Kenyan government circles over both content and the devious manner in which the prohibition […]
Rwanda passes migratory birds protection bill
RWANDAS PARLIAMENT PASSES BIRD PROTECTION BILL The often mentioned fact here that Rwanda indeed has conversation engrained in its political fabric was once again confirmed when it became known that late last week did parliament pass a special bill, authorizing governments ratifying the relevant global agreement to protect migratory bird species. In fact it was […]
