Uganda news update – The New vision website just got better, jazzier
NEW VISION GETS NEW WEBSITE LAYOUT Ugandas leading daily newspaper, currently undergoing a redesign and showing new ooompf has today also commissioned its new public website layout, still available via www.newvision.co.ug The entry portal is now showing on one page the key elements of the daily news and gives easy click access to front page […]
Tanzania news update – Holiday Inn launches helipad and airport flights
DAR ES SALAAM HOLIDAY INN COMMISSIONS HELIPAD Information received from Dar es Salaam has confirmed that the Holiday Inn has launched a helicopter service from the international airport to the hotel, cutting commuting time to around 6 minutes for guests opting to pay 140 US Dollars rather than being stuck in traffic. The service will […]
Kenya tourism news update – ‘Travel embargo’ for parts of Kenya’s coast announced by embassies
TRAVEL EMBARGO NOW EXTENDS 150 KM FROM SOMALI BORDER Embassies and High Commissions in Nairobi were swift to react to the second abduction of a foreign national from the sun drenched beaches of Kenyas Indian Ocean shores last weekend and introducing an all but essential personnel travel ban for their own staff and citizens to […]
Uganda aviation news update – Air Uganda to introduce changes to coastal routes
AIR UGANDA TO INTRODUCE NEW ROUTINGS AND ADDED OPTIONS The seasonal flights in August and September between Entebbe, Mombasa and Zanzibar came to an end last weekend but will resume in December once more to cover the traditional holiday period ahead and over the Christmas and New Year season. Using the CRJ200 U7 has the […]
Africa marketing event news – HOUSTON Marketing to hold 4th ‘Seashow’ in Scandinavia
HOUSTON MARKETING TARGETS SCANDINAVIA FOR AFRICAN MARKET WITH SEASHOW Targeting the growing Scandinavian market to Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, here comes an ideal opportunity to meet with most of the major wholesalers and tour operators in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Collectively the four Nordics countries are considered as probably the 4th largest European […]
Kenya tourism news update – Minister claims Kenya is safe – stakeholder challenge him to ‘prove it’
KENYA IS SAFE SAYS MINISTER PROVE IT SAYS TOURISM FRATERNITY The fallout of the second kidnapping by suspected Somali militants of a tourist from a Kenyan beach resort has already started and is likely to degenerate into a furious row between stakeholders and government, the latter now accused of not having done enough to ensure […]
Uganda tourism news – Bujagali Falls’ last weekend in ‘full flow’
LAST GLIMPSE OF BUJAGALI FALLS This weekend will give Ugandans one of the last chances to see the Bujagali Falls in their full flow, before the downstream Bujagali hydro electric power plant will begin to close the flood gates in preparations of starting production by the end of the month. All the rapids and falls […]
Seychelles breaking news – Election results are out and Party LEPEP makes a clean sweep
SEYCHELLES ELECTION RESULTS ARE OUT Three days of peaceful voting have come to an end yesterday evening at 7 p.m. across the inner islands of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue, after all other islands had their voting carried out during the two previous days. As expected and as witnessed personally at the end of May […]
Kenya breaking news – Update to developments along the Kenya – Somalia border where a French citizen was abducted from Manda Island / Lamu
Update 2: Latest information from Kenya says that Kenyan coast guard and navy vessels have cornered the abductors of a French tourism from Manda Island last night and that presently there seems to be a standoff. It is understood that this is still in Kenyan waters and that the abductors have failed to reach the […]
Kenya news update – Stakeholders say no to new proposed fee on air tickets
AIRLINES AND TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS SAY NO TO EXTRA FEE The coming into effect of the new Kenya Tourism Bill last week, when President Kibaki made it law by putting his signature to it, will also usher in an era of additional public bodies to be created, and more important to be financed. The now mandatory […]
Kenya breaking news – Another abduction reported from Lamu’s Manda island
SECOND KIDNAPPING OF TOURIST NEAR LAMU SHOCKS KENYAS TOURISM SECTOR News are emerging from a range of sources in Mombasa and Nairobi that a second tourist kidnapping has taken place from the Manda Bay Resort near Lamu, when apparently a French woman was abducted in similar style as the recent kidnapping of a British woman […]
Tanzania news update – Councillor changes his mind, JV agreement between Serengeti District Council and Grumeti now ready to be signed
SERENGETI COUNCIL NOW SUDDENLY READY TO SIGN JV AGREEMENT In a strange turn of events, following earlier reports that the signing between Grumeti Reserves and the Serengeti District Council had bounced did news emerge overnight that the councilor who had raised the concerns appears to have changed his mind when the matter, according to his […]
Uganda news update – Where did the allegations against the Minister come from?
IS A MEMBER OF THE UWA COMMISSION BEHIND THE MUD THROWN AT MINISTER? There is speculation that a source from within the Commission of Enquiry could have deliberately leaked unsubstantiated allegations that Prof. Kamuntu, now the Minister for Tourism, has accessed UWA money to inoculate his cattle against foot and mouth disease. Prof. Kamuntu denied […]
Rwanda news update – US Senate unanimously ratifies BIT with Rwanda
RWANDA US BILATERAL INVESTMENT TREATY RATIFIED The US Senate has during the week in a unanimous vote ratified and sanctioned the bilateral investment treaty signed between Rwanda and the United States. This move further underscores the progress made in economic development by The New Rwanda since the 1994 genocide which has left the country in […]
Uganda conservation news – Rafting for Rhinos raises 23+ million Shillings
RAFTING FOR RHINOS RAISES 23 MILLION AND AWARENESS (Rafting for Rhinos 2011 book your own date for 2012) The Raft for Rhinos races on the upper Nile last weekend have according to Angie Genade, Executive Director of the Rhino Fund Uganda and the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary raised about 23 million Uganda Shillings, a significant boost […]
Uganda news update – Inflation now stands at 28+ percent, shocks business community
INFLATION RUNS AWAY WITH 28.3 PERCENT IN SEPTEMBER Ugandans will wake up today to the shock news of a 28.3 percent inflation figure, published yesterday afternoon through the relevant departments of the Bank of Uganda and the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics. Last months figure, now looking relatively modest, was 21.4 percent and it was […]
Uganda aviation news – Qatar Airways to Entebbe pits direct rivals against each other
NARROWBODY VERSUS WIDEBODY, DOHA VERSUS DUBAI VERSUS THE REST OF THEM With the start of flights by Qatar Airways, connecting Doha daily with Entebbe with an Airbus A320, the question is now arising which way the loyalty of regular travelers will go. Emirates, already offering daily flights between Dubai and Entebbe, serves the route with […]
Seychelles tourism news – GST increase to 15 percent ‘not good for the tourism industry’
TAX RISE SET TO ENDANGER TOURISM GROWTH The Seychelles tourism private sector has once again warned of the potential impact of the planned GST (Goods and Services) tax rise from 12 to 15 percent on tourism services. Introduced some years ago under an economic structural adjustment programme the GST is due to be replaced by […]
East Africa news – Implement the common EAC tourist Visa now, says Balala
BALALA BLASTS PARTNERS OVER FEAR AND SUSPICION The meeting of the East African Communitys sectoral council on tourism and wildlife in Mombasa ended with calls to fast track the long overdue introduction of a common tourist Visa for the entire EAC, to stimulate travel across national borders to neighbouring countries by tourists already in the […]
Uganda conservation news – Big Bird Watching Day goes underway
IT IS BIG BIRDWATCHING DAY IN UGANDA The tourism and conservation fraternity is today, in fact since midnight, listening for bird voices and recording sightings for a 24 hour period, with birding enthusiasts given free entrance to the national parks and national forest reserves by UWA and the NFA. Uganda has nearly 10 percent of […]
Uganda news – Opposition takes Entebbe municipal seat in by election
OPPOSITION TAKES ENTEBBE SEAT IN BY ELECTION In what can only be described as a resounding victory has the opposition Democratic Party candidate taken the Entebbe municipality seat for parliament, after the High Court had declared the election results of the February general election as null and void due to the omission by the Electoral […]
Rwanda tourism news – ICTP and RDB Tourism & Conservation in partnership talks
RWANDA TOURISM EXPRESSES INTEREST IN JOINING ICTP The International Council of Tourism Partners has received an expression of interest by the Rwanda Development Boards Tourism and Conservation Division to join the ICTP alliance of global quality destinations, which provides members according to information published by them with Cooperative marketing / promotion / branding that helps […]
Kenya aviation news – Ultralight aircraft crashes at South Coast
ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT CRASHES KILLING PASSENGER News have emerged from the Kenyan coast that an ultralight aircraft, apparently used for a leisure flight at the South Coast of Mombasa, had crashed upon take off yesterday morning, injuring the pilot and killing the single passenger. It is understood from a source in Mombasa that the airstrip at […]
Tanzania hospitality news – Serena is coming to Dar es Salaam
SERENA COMES TO DAR ES SALAAM AT LAST East Africas premier hotel, resort and safari lodge company Serena Hotels, is finally closing a glaring gap in their portfolio with the reported taking over of what used to be, amongst other brand names before, the Moevenpick Dar es Salaam, aka Royal Palm and previously the Sheraton […]
Uganda aviation breaking news – Bujumbura next for Air Uganda?
BUJUMBURA HERE WE COME?!? Usually well informed sources within Ugandas aviation fraternity have given the clearest indication yet that Air Uganda will widen their reach, true to their slogan We are the Wings that connect East Africa and offer flights, initially three times a week, between Entebbe and Bujumbura. From apparently the end of October […]
Uganda aviation breaking news – Air Uganda undergoes IOSA audit
AIR UGANDA UNDERGOES IOSA AUDIT Information was received this morning that Ugandas quasi national airline Air Uganda is presently hosting an international audit team, which is in country to assess the state of preparations of U7 towards final certification under IATAs operational safety audits. IOSA is arguably the gold standard for airlines as far as […]
South Sudan news – Land survey and mapping to go underway soon for new capital city
SURVEYS FOR NEW SOUTH SUDAN CAPITAL IN RAMCIEL TO START SOON Information was confirmed from Juba, South Sudans current capital city, that a proper land survey in and around Ramciel, Lakes State, would commence soon. Only recently has the South Sudan cabinet, or council of ministers as it is called, decided that the new capital […]
Tanzania aviation news – TCAA admits to challenges
TCAA ADMITS WIDE RANGING CHALLENGES The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority has earlier in the week acknowledged that operational constraints across the countrys airports, aerodromes and airfields are a major challenge to their mandate and objective to increase travel by air across the country. In particular the availability of aviation fuels on such often remote locations, […]
Uganda news – 15th International UMA Trade Exhibition to open on October 04th
15TH INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOW UPCOMING The Uganda Manufacturers Association is next week opening its doors to the 15th edition of its international trade show with over 850 exhibitors from Uganda, the East African Community and firms beyond the region and from other continents participating in the event. Companies from China, Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, India and […]
Uganda news – Moroto bridge repair work ‘ready soon’
MOROTO BRIDGE TO REOPEN SOON Torrential rains in Eastern Uganda in recent weeks have caused havoc conditions for road transport and when a key bridge between Moroto and Nakapiripirit was washed away, 6 districts were cut off from the rest of the country, including access to Kidepo Valley National Park. Information was now given by […]
