Haller Park Mombasa – 167.000 visitors and counting
HALLER PARK BAMBURI 167.000 VISITORS IN 2011 AND COUNTING (The entrance of the Bamburi based Haller Park north of Mombasa) Mombasas Haller Park has since its inception in the late 1970s, when the Bamburi Cement quarries looked like moonscapes along the Mombasa Bamburi road, extensive spaces bare of any vegetation at all, been transformed into […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Fourth edition May 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 […]
Rwanda Tourism counting down towards Kwita Izina 2012
KWITA IZINA SET FOR SATURDAY 16TH JUNE The clock is now ticking down relentlessly towards the 08th edition of Kwita Izina, the Rwandan festival of the naming the young born mountain gorillas, which is taking place in less than three weeks time. Conservation friends from across Eastern Africa and in fact the entire world are […]
KWS concludes elephant containment activities in the Taita – Taveta area …
KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE DRIVES UP TO 1.000 ELEPHANT INTO TAITA HILLS AND TSAVO A chance meeting with Samuel M. Rukaria, Community Warden for the Taita Hills area, allowed to get some intriguing insights of the challenges KWS and the communities living near the park boundaries of Tsavo East, Tsave West and the Taita Hills Conservancy […]
Kampala Serena goes Italian
KAMPALA SERENA SET FOR ITALIAN WEEK The Explorer Restaurant at the Kampala Serena will be the venue for a week of Italian cuisine, wine tasting and even cookery classes with Chef Fabrizio Mercuri, who is visiting the Kampala Serena to promote his way of presenting Italian dishes. His menu creations during the week of 04th […]
EALA’s Transboundary Ecosystems Bill to be opposed by Tanzania
TANZANIA OPPOSES EAST AFRICAN LAW ON TRANSBOUNDARY ECO SYSTEMS Another showdown with fellow EAC countries appears to be on the horizon, as it became known over the weekend that Tanzania intends to block the EALA passed law on transboundary eco systems, fearing that it would lead to being compelled to drop some of the most […]
MTPA does ‘Copy and Paste’ job on Seychelles’ Carnival success
STEALING SEYCHELLES CARNIVAL CONCEPT THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF KARL? Mauritius Tourism is bracing for stormy times following the formal announcement by MTPAs desperate man Karl Mootoosamy, that he will copy the Seychelles carnival concept as a last ditch effort to show some action, already termed sneaky by sections of the ever more critical […]
Geo Lodges Uganda’s Jacana Safari Lodge bags TripAdvisor regognition
GEO LODGES JACANA SAFARI LODGE BAGS TRIPADVISOR RECOGNITION Geo Lodges Emily Wissanji wasted no time yesterday to spread the good news, that TripAdvisor had awarded their Jacana Safari Lodge, embedded in the rainforest surrounding Lake Nyamusingire in Queen Elizabeth National Park, with a Certificate of Excellence. Jacana, an intimate small and very personalized lodge at […]
Dar es Salaam records increase in attacks on visitors walking from and to their hotels
TANZANIA TOURISM INDUSTRY SHOCKED BY UPSURGE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST VISITORS Information has come to light from the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, that of late a wave of attacks was carried out on foreign visitors staying in some of the poshest hotels in the city, when walking in the evening what were previously thought to […]
Kenya Airways adds 6th B767-300 to fleet
35 AND COUNTING AS KENYA AIRWAYS ADDS A LEASED B767 TO THE FLEET It was learned overnight that Kenya Airways, the Pride of Africa, has added a sixth B767-300 aircraft to their fleet, arranged through a lease contract with ILFC. The airline has been struggling to keep up the pace of expansion it set itself […]
Fibre optic cable will arrive at Beau Vallon Bay on Sunday
FIBRE OPTIC LINK TO THE WORLD SET TO LAND ON SUNDAY The Seychelles will be a step closer to joining the global super information highway at the speed of light, when on Sunday the fibre optic cable presently being laid between the coast of Tanzania and the archipelago is expected to make landfall. Presently connected […]
MV Victoria is safe say operators as lake travelers get unsettled
REPORTS ON MV VICTORIA UNSETTLE LAKE TRAVELLERS (MV Victoria at Mwanza port) Fear and worries have gripped regular lake travelers who were out of the blue confronted with, what has been called irresponsible statements by poorly informed individuals, who set the media on the shipping companys trail. A company spokesperson immediately denied any wrongdoing or […]
Heir to British aristocrat dies following alleged police brutality at Diani police station
DEATH IN CUSTODY SET TO ROCK KENYA / UK RELATIONS Another suspicious death in police custody, and of no less than the heir of a British aristocrat, is bound to cast fresh shadows over Kenya / UK relations. Pathologists, according to reports emerging yesterday at the south coast of Mombasa in Diani, where this correspondent […]
Seychelles and Abu Dhabi sign extensive amendments and additions to Bilateral Air Services Agreements
NEW SEYCHELLES / ABU DHABI BILATERAL AIRSERVICE AGREEMENT SETS PACE FOR FUTURE (Mr. Terence Mondon, Principal Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs and Transport and H.E. Mohammed Hareb Al Yousef from Abu Dhabi Department of Transport exchange documents after signing the new deal) Informationhas just been received that the Seychelles Minister responsible for transport, Joel Morgan, […]
Tanzania’s natural resources and tourism minister cracks whip over corrupt and unpatriotic officials
KAGESHEKI READY TO CRACK THE WHIP AND BOOT THE DEAD WOOD OUT The recently appointed Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Amb. Khamis Kagesheki, when inaugurating the new Board for the Tanzania Forest Service which falls under his ministry, left no doubt where the axe will be falling soon, the wildlife division in his ministry, […]
Congo Civil Aviation grounds 29 planes over safety concerns
CONGO CAA GROWS TEETH, GROUND 29 PLANES A Goma based aviation source in periodic contact with this correspondent has told the story of Congos Civil Aviation Authority, in a flurry of apparently renewed activity, grounding some 29 planes of airlines registered in Kinshasa. The aircraft belong according to the same source to about 20 airlines […]
Protea set to open third property in Uganda, located in Mbale / Eastern Uganda
PROTEA SET TO OPEN NEW HOTEL IN MBALE / EASTERN UGANDA Information was received that Protea Hotels will after Kampala and the recent addition of the Entebbe Airport Protea Hotel open their third property in Uganda at the eastern Ugandan town of Mbale. Located on the foot of Mt. Elgon, a volcanic mountain of just […]
Kenya secures 29 billion KShs loan from Japan for Dongo Kundu bypass to the South Coast
KENYA SECURES 29 BILLION LOAN FOR CONSTRUCTION OF SOUTH COAST BYPASS HIGHWAY Coincidentally did the news of the financing of the long overdue South Coast bypass highway break as this correspondent was a the coast, putting smiles on the faces of key stakeholders. Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association Chairman Mohammed Hersi in a long discussion […]
Sarova Whitesands undergoing a 20+ million US Dollars room upgrade programme
SAROVA WHITESANDS UNDERGOS 20+ MILLION US DOLLAR UPGRADE During a meeting with Sarovas Regional General Manager Mohammed Hersi information was confirmed today that the hotel, resort and safari lodge group will be spending in excess of 20 million US Dollars to upgrade their nearly 350 rooms and suites at the Sarova Whitesands Resort and Spa […]
Kenya Airways shares ‘fly high’ on news of Virgin’s exit and anticipation of share rights issue results
KENYA AIRWAYS SHARES JUMP BY 10 PERCENT ON VIRGIN EXIT NEWS There was combined excitement in the Kenyan share market yesterday as on opening of the Nairobi Stock Exchange on Monday morning the weekend news of Virgin exiting the market later in the year gave investors the confidence to drive the airlines share price up […]
Seychelles unity approach ‘snubbed’ by Mauritius’ copy catting?
SEYCHELLES UNITY APPROACH SNUBBED BY COPY CATTING MTPA ? A usually well informed source from Mauritius has leaked a bombshell decision apparently taken by the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority to copy cat the Seychelles success with the Carnival International de Victoria and try do their own rather than joining hands, as has been repeatedly offered […]
Kenya Airways eyes more routes but needs new aircraft first
KENYA AIRWAYS EYES NEW ROUTES Subject to timely delivery of new aircraft, one new Embraer 190 was received in May already and from July onwards a further 9 such birds on order are due to be delivered in monthly intervals, the Pride of Africa is set to open up several more routes this financial year, […]
Weekly roundup of news from the Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Third edition May 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 […]
ICCA rankings for 2011 see not one African country or city in the top 20
ICCA RATINGS FOR 2011 SEE NO AFRICAN COUNTRY / CITY IN THE TOP 20 The International Conference and Convention Associations recent publication of the top 20 destinations for MICE business has reaffirmed the old world order, that not one African city or country made it into the top 20 worldwide. In fact the top 6 […]
Kenya Government taken to court over cabinet decision to sanction highway routing through the Nairobi National Park
KENYA GOVERNMENT TAKEN TO COURT OVER HIGHWAY ROUTING THROUGH PARK Reaction to last weeks cabinet decision, to apparently ignore the licence terms granted by NEMA in connection with the Southern Bypass now going under construction and sanction a route inside the boundaries of the Nairobi National Park, has brought the almost inevitable reaction from the […]
Rwanda formally launches automated immigration processing for nationals
RWANDA FORMALLY LAUNCHES AUTOMATED IMMIGRATION CONTROL FOR NATIONALS The test phase successfully concluded saw the automated passenger arrival system for Rwandese nationals now formally launched at Kigalis Kanombe International Airport. Four years of developments and a significant investment in technology, and a trial phase reported her a few months ago, have now yielded the wanted […]
Seychelles arrivals reach record high in April as tourism trade delegation heads to Paris
VISITOR NUMBERS UP AS SEYCHELLES HEAD TO FRANCE The month of April ended in a new visitor arrival record for the Seychelles, when 20.049 visitors arrived through the international airport, a figure never reached before. This constitutes a 5 percent increase over April 2011, which too at the time had set a new record, while […]
UNESCO decision on Uranium mining in the Selous Game Reserve due next month
UNESCO DECISOIN ON SELOUS MINING DUE NEXT MONTH A periodic source close to UNESCO in Paris has confirmed that the Tanzanian government was undertaking a last minute goodwill initiative to lobby UNESCO ahead of the expected decision over the application to permit Uranium mining in the Selous Game Reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage […]
Air Tanzania resumes operations on Dar – Kilimanjaro – Mwanza route
AIR TANZANIA RESUMES FLIGHTS WITH LOWEST FARES IN THE MARKET Air Tanzania yesterday resumed flights on the route between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, via Kilimanjaro, now operating twice a day on a morning and evening service between the commercial capital, the countrys safari capital Arusha and the lake side city of Mwanza. From reliable […]
Torrential rains make Masai Mara road impassable
RAINS MESS UP SAFARIS TO THE MASAI MARA A number of accounts were received overnight from Kenya that torrential rains had led to the closure of the Mai Mahiu Narok road, a crucial throughfare enroute to the world renowned game reserve, forcing safari busses and 4x4s to turn back with clients unable to reach their […]
