President Kikwete’s World Environment Day speech raises eyebrows over its sincerity
PRESIDENTIAL WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY ADDRESS RAISES EYEBROWS President Kikwetes address on the occasion of the World Environment Day has raised more than a few eyebrows amongst the conservation fraternity, when on Tuesday this week he was quoted to have said: If we dont take remedial measures to conserve the environment, our lives and welfare will […]
Emirates offers special fares deals in fight for market share
EMIRATES STARTS FARES OFFENSIVE IN UGANDA Emirates Kampala office has yesterday launched a range of attractive market fares, reducing by up to 48 percent the cost previously paid for by travelers, when a new aggressive sales campaign was started by the airline, lasting till Sunday this week with travel valid until 15th of July. Khalid […]
Today’s posts start with a guest contribution from New Dawn Associates in Rwanda – enjoy
Abatigayubuke Batwa cooperative dances its way to a brighter future by Munyaneza A.B (May 2012) None of the Tourist groups knew what to expect every morning of the Dancing pots tour. This is the first time that the Batwa community associated with the Abatigayubuke potter cooperative had ever received tourists, visitors and hosts were brimming […]
Landing mishap closes JKIA’s single runway, again, while airlines face huge financial losses, AGAIN
JKIA RUNWAY CLOSURE ONCE AGAIN COSTS AIRLINES DEARLY A landing mishap by reportedly Egypt Air, which according to reports came in long, skidded off the runway and got stuck in the mud, has prompted all incoming and outgoing flights from Nairobis Jomo Kenyatta Airport to be diverted and delayed indefinitely, it was learned two hours […]
Arusha Municipal Airport set to reopen in July following extensive rehabilitation works
ARUSHA AIRPORT SET TO REOPEN The current repairs on the Arusha Municipal Airports runway are nearing the end it was learned when discussing the forthcoming Karibu Tourism and Travel Fair starting this weekend in East Africas Safari Capital. From what we have been told they expect to finish the work by mid July and even […]
Air Tanzania boss axed, 4 top staff suspended to make way for investigations
AIR TANZANIA BOSS AXED, FOUR MORE SUSPENDED AS NEW BROOMS SWEEP HARD All posturing and peacock strutting about was not enough to save the former Acting Chief Executive Paul Chizi from the axe, which fell on him when the newly appointed Minister for Transport used a provision in law to remove him from office and […]
Kenya Airways share rights issue announcement set for later today along full year financial results
KENYA AIRWAYS DAY OF RECKONING ARRIVES Today is the official announcement expected by Kenya Airways and their financial advisory team of how the recently concluded share rights issue was accepted in the market place alongside the announcement of financial year results for 2011/12. Overshadowed by continuously high interest rates, a deterrent of significance for private […]
Ugandan police and security deploy in hotels and malls to boost security
POLICE TAKE OVER HOTEL AND MALL SECURITY IN KAMPALA As witnessed in recent days across the city, Ugandan security organs have been seconded to Kampalas leading hotels, malls, high rises and even buildings under construction near sensitive sites, also confirmed late yesterday from a top cop in Uganda, who on condition of strict anonymity said […]
Emirates continues market offensive on several levels to counter existing and new competition
EMIRATES CONTINUES MARKET OFFENSIVE WITH ENHANCED INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT Dubais award winning national airline Emirates continues to work the market in East Africa hard, in the face of increased competition by Gulf rivals Qatar Airways, soon to launch their 5th East African destination, and Etihad, coming to Nairobi more recently as their first East African destination, […]
Karibu Travel and Tourism Fair opens on Friday with a dedicated day for tourism professionals
KARIBU FAIR OPENS ON 08TH June 6, 2012 East Africas most important international tourism trade show, the Karibu Travel and Tourism Fair, is going to open its doors at the Arusha Showground on Friday this week with a dedicated tourism trade day for professional visitors and the media only, before on Saturday and Sunday offering […]
KQ passengers to the US via Paris can now enjoy more transatlantic flights on the A380
ALLIANCE LINKS GIVE KENYA AIRWAYS PASSENGERS ACCESS TO A380 FLIGHTS TO THE US The membership in SkyTeam by Kenya Airways gives passengers flying with The Pride of Africa to Paris a third connection on the giant A380 aircraft into the US, now that partner Air France has made Los Angeles their latest daily destination served […]
Maige’s tainted legacy torn to shreds by more revelations and PCCB investigation
THE VULTURES ARE CIRCLING ON MAIGES TAINTED LEGACY The parliamentary committees report, which led to the downfall of former disgraced, and often said to be quite inept tourism minister Ezekiel Maige, has now triggered a formal investigation by the Tanzanian anti corruption watch dog PCCB, which is investigating the ministers and his ministry officials conduct […]
Treetops set to light Royal Beacon tonight as Diamond Jubilee Celebrations come to a close
TREETOPS SET TO LIGHT QUEENS BEACON Known as THE place where a princess climbed up into a tree lookout one evening and came down as a queen the next morning, the world famous Treetops in the Aberdare National Park outside Nyeri, will be the place to be tonight in Kenya for all those fond of […]
Kwita Izina’s 8th edition ‘ante portas’
KWITA IZINA 2012 PROGRAMME OUT A cycling race from 09th to the 10th of June will kick off the formal start of Kwita Izina 2012 activities this year, when a large number of cyclists from Rwanda, the wider region and from overseas will set out from the Rwandan capital Kigali and ride their way across […]
Demand for Gulf Air’s daily service from Nairobi peaking up for the summer season
GULF AIR READY FOR THE SUMMER RUSH The daily flights between Nairobi and Bahrain, with onward connections into the Gulf Air network to Europe, the Middle East and beyond, 50 cities in 31 countries to be precise, are reportedly in great demand for the peak summer season, when expatriates from Eastern Africa are commencing their […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, First edition June 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 […]
Two weekend crashes renew focus on aviation safety in Africa
TWO CRASHES IN ONE WEEKEND SHOCK AFRICAS FREQUENT FLYERS Readers of newspapers will wake up this Monday morning to news that the Lagos crash of Dana Air, which operates on the route between Abuja and Lagos, has claimed 147 lives when all on board the MD 80 aircraft died as the plane apparently hit a […]
Rwanda set to introduce a new tourism bill
NEW TOURISM BILL TO BE SENT TO PARLIAMENT FOR CONSIDERATION Rwanda is putting final touches on a new tourism bill, which is expected to be sent to parliament for consideration and debate before the end of June, it was learned from a regular source in Kigali. The success story of tourism in Rwanda has become […]
Seychelles’ tourism minister St. Ange honoured by Madagascar for extraordinary tourism promotion efforts
MADAGASCAR PRESIDENT HONOURS SEYCHELLES ST. ANGE FOR HIS WORK (Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St. Ange seen here at an interview with this correspondent) The Minister of Tourism and Culture of the Seychelles, Alain St. Ange, was honoured at the end of his stay in Madagascar, where he was invited as guest of […]
RwandAir formally announces Bert van der Stege’s appointment as Commercial Director
RWANDAIR FORMALLY ANNOUNCES BERT VAN DER STEGES APPOINTMENT News broken here 2 weeks ago about Bert van der Stege joining RwandAir from Arik Air, has now been formally confirmed by the Rwandan flag carrier when a formal statement was released this afternoon. In fact, Berts designation was upped from the initial General Manager Commercial to […]
NEMA’s Southern Bypass License prohibits use of national park land
CONTRAVENING SOUTHERN BYPASS LICENSE MAY BRING PROJECT TO A HALT Following information received some weeks ago that the East Africa Wildlife Society, ANEW African Network for Endangered Wildlife and Dr. Paula Kahumbu were seeking to take government to court over the routing of the Southern Bypass through the Nairobi National Park, has NEMA now too […]
Kwita Izina 2012 approaches as RDB Tourism and Conservation shares success data
RWANDA DEVELOPMENT BOARD GIVES BACK TO COMMUNITIES Ms. Rica Rwigamba, Head of Tourism and Conservation at the Rwanda Development Board, has in a statement released yesterday underscored how over 1.4 billion Rwanda Francs was spent during the past 8 years in support of community based projects for the provision of water, sanitation, schools and other […]
Mauritius Carnival – Different Views and Different News
MAURITIUS CARNIVAL DIFFERENT VIEWS AND DIFFERENT NEWS In what must have been a communication from a supporter of embattled MTPA chief Karl Mootoosamy an opinion was expressed to this correspondent, which shows the growing lager mentality of those close to Karl and his inner circle. A broadside of allegations was fired off against the Seychelles […]
Another near miss as aircraft forced to return to Juba with technical problems
ANOTHER NEAR MISS AS CHARTERED AIRCRAFT FORCED TO RETURN TO JUBA Reports from Juba International Airport by a regular source from there have confirmed information obtained through other channels yesterday, that indeed another plane, carrying a minister in the Juba government was forced to return within minutes of leaving the airport for the town of […]
Brussels Airlines commences New York flights today
BRUSSELS AIRLINES LAUNCHES NEW YORK FLIGHTS Flights leaving East Africa last night on Brussels Airlines will today for the first time be able to connect on a Brussels Airlines flight to New York, aka the Big Apple, as the airline launches its inaugural flights to JFK on the 01st of June. Long operated in code […]
Kempinski set to meet the media in Nairobi on 12th June
KEMPINSKI CONFIRMS JUNE 12TH MEDIA BRIEFING FOR KEMPINSKI VILLA ROSA NAIROBI Lashley Pulsipher, the Dubai based Kempinski Hotels Regional Director of Public Relations for the Middle East and Africa, will be in Nairobi in 10 days time to hold a media briefing on the progress of the upcoming Kempinski Villa Rosa Nairobi on June 12th, […]
Uganda Civil Aviation Authority sets date for next licensing hearing
CIVIL AVIATION LICENSING HEARING ANNOUNCED FOR JULY 05TH The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has just announced the date for the next licensing hearing for Thursday, the 05th of July, commencing at 11.30 hrs (a.m.) at the Imperial Royale Hotel in the heart of Kampala. The licensing committee will be hearing a disappointing 8 applications only, […]
Kenya Airways gets 10th Embraer E190
KENYA AIRWAYS ADDS 10TH E 190 TO FLEET Kenya Airways has confirmed the delivery of their 10th Embraer E190 jet, configured with 12 business class and 84 economy class seats, this being the last of 3 leased from the Air Lease Corporation or in short ALC. The new jet will greatly assist the airline in […]
Leopard Beach Resort and Spa suffers fire damage while undergoing the annual maintenance cycle
LEOPARD BEACH RESORT AND SPA SUFFERS FIRE DAMAGE The Chui as the Leopard Beach is fondly called amongst friends of the resort last night suffered fire damage to the makuti roofs near the main building, when around 02.15 a.m. the fire alarm was sounded by the night staff. The resort is undergoing its annual spring […]
Madagascar International Tourism Fair opened by Seychelles’ tourism minister Alain St. Ange
SEYCHELLES ST. ANGE GUEST OF HONOUR AT MADAGASCAR TOURISM FAIR The Minister for Tourism and Culture of the Seychelles, Alain St. Ange, was invited by the Madagascar government as guest of honour to formally open the islands International Tourism Fair, as Madagascar is trying to re-emerge from the political cold it found itself in over […]
